The Emerald
by kenyancougar
Summary: Oliver proposes, Roy faces someone from his past, the Team deals with a new threat in town, and a Happily Ever After is within reach! Features all of Team Arrow, the Queen and Lance families, and Sin. This is the final installment in my 'Abducted' series. (Reading Abducted and Teamwork are not necessary, just highly recommended.) *Slight Season 3 Premier Spoilers*
1. Chapter 1: Family Reunion

**AN: And here is the third installment of my 'Abducted' series. I would suggest reading both 'Abducted' and 'Teamwork' first as that will alleviate some confusion later on I'm sure.**

**Thank you to everyone who followed me on to a third story! I sinceriously hope you all enjoy this as much as you have the previous two stories.**

**To TheWolfOfHiddenMoons... this story is half for you as you provided me with an amazing idea of where to go with the missions for this story! Thank You and I hope you like where this goes!**

**A huge shout out to Mic RiddyBanon and TheOddManOut for taking a look at this first chapter and performing awesome beta skills! I appreciate you both!**

**Disclaimer: I do now own Arrow. It belongs to the CW.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Family Reunion<strong>

It had been four months since they escaped from the clutches of Slade Wilson. The Team had been kept fairly busy with a gang dispute that broke out and things were just now starting to calm down again. Felicity sat at her desk in the lair, supposedly working, instead she was watching Oliver on the Salmon Ladder, again. His body had finally healed from all of the wounds that Malcolm and Slade had given him and in her eyes he had never looked better. He did have new scars mixed in with the old ones. The cuts on his chest had simply been inflicted over previous scars so even though they were fresh scars they simply replaced old ones. The scars that most often drew her attention though were the ones on his back, from where Slade had brutally whipped him. The wounds had healed, leaving in their place a myriad of faded white lines where his back had been laid open with the whip, patches of thick silver wedges in places where the lashes had crossed. He was still a handsome man, nothing could change that, he simply held new marks. Marks that continually reminded her of just how strong he really was and that he would always fight back. _**  
><strong>_

Felicity watched as Oliver smoothly transitioned from the Salmon Ladder to the beams overhead, moving into inverted crunches. He smiled at her as he caught her watching him and she returned the smile just as genuinely. She truly did love this man! She looked around then to the rest of the Team, all except Roy who had gone home for a shower and some sleep. Sara and Diggle were sparring on the mats not far away. This place would always be home to her now and she couldn't think of a better place to be.

She looked once more to her Archer above her before then looking down to her left hand and she couldn't stop the huge smile that crossed her face as she looked at her emerald. Felicity was indeed a very happy woman!

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><p>Roy walked tiredly up to the front door of his house. It had been a long week of crime fighting. Thankfully Oliver had fully healed from his injuries inflicted by Malcolm Merlyn and Slade Wilson meaning that the Team was once again at full crime fighting capacity. However, that didn't change the fact that they had had several long nights this week breaking up a gang dispute. He was hungry, tired, and in dire need of a nice, long, hot shower. He pulled his key from his pocket and unlocked his front door, flipping on the lights as he walked into his house. Locking his door back behind him he dropped his duffel bag on the floor just inside the door and walked to his kitchen, feet dragging with exhaustion.<p>

"Hello Roy."

Roy stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the voice in his house, his body immediately on high alert. There was only one person in his life that had that voice, and he was supposed to be dead. He turned to face the man sitting on his bed.

"Well, aren't you going to welcome me home...Son?"

"What are you doing here?" Roy growled in what was a pretty good imitation of Oliver's Arrow growl as he clenched his fists at his side. Roy Harper Sr. was the _last _person he ever expected to see, or wanted to see, in his house. His dad stood and walked slowly towards him.

"Now Son, that's no way to welcome back your long lost Father." Roy Sr. said to his son as he came to stand directly in front of him.

"You're supposed to be dead." Roy spat at his dad. Having this man standing so close to him not only put him on edge, but worried him as well as he still had very clear memories of the man before him.

"Is that what she told you?" Roy Sr. asked, clearly referring to his late wife. "That I was _dead._"

Roy swallowed nervously as he scowled at his dad. He had yet to figure out why the man was here and found he was starting to worry more and more as the moments dragged on.

"That ungrateful _bitch!"_ Roy Sr. yelled at his son as he took a step closer, spitting in his face. He found he was slightly amused at the fact that Roy was standing tall in front of him with hands clenched into fists at his side, as though ready for a fight, and yet his son backed away from him when he got closer. "Telling my own son, my flesh and blood, that I was _dead_! Oh well, it doesn't matter now does it. Not since we are finally together again." Roy Sr. said as he placed his hands on Roy's shoulders. He could feel the strength radiating from Roy under his touch. He stepped back and smiled, finally calming himself again.

"What are you doing here?" Roy asked his dad yet again. He was determined to find out why this maniac was in his house.

"I want you to join the family business." Roy Sr. said as he leaned against the kitchen counter and folded his arms in front of him.

"What family business?" Roy asked, curious as to what his dad was involved in that he would need his help.

"I'm a weapons dealer son." Roy Sr. explained, watching his son's face closely for his reaction. "I had a client, my most respected and wealthiest client, here in Starling City who went off the grid about four months ago. I was told that the Vigilante, this Arrow, and his team took him down. I want to find this man, and kill him, and you're going to help me."

"Why would I help you?" Roy asked as chills ran down his spine at his dad's words.

"Because." Roy Sr. stood and again moved to stand in front of his son. He placed his left hand on Roy's shoulder again and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "You're my son." Roy Sr. then delivered a swift, hard punch to Roy's stomach causing his son to double over with a grunt of pain. "And if you don't I'm going to not only hurt you, but everyone you care about as well."

Roy was doubled over in pain, gasping for breath, as his dad released his shoulder and turned to walk out the front door. He paused in the doorway and turned back to Roy. "I'll be back tomorrow. I'll expect your decision then." Roy Sr. then left the house, closing the door behind him.

Roy fell to his knees, unable to stop a tear from escaping. There was no way he could help this man find and hurt his Team, not after everything they had gone through. He knelt on his kitchen floor, for how long he did not know, before he remembered Felicity's words to him four months ago. _I hope she meant it._ He thought as he pulled out his phone and speed dialed the lair, hoping the Team was still there.

"Hey Roy, what's up?" Felicity answered distractedly on the second ring. _Must be staring at either Oliver or her engagement ring again_.

"Felicity, we have a problem." Roy told her matter of factly.

"What is it Roy? What's wrong?" Roy could hear the sudden worry in her voice.

"Someone's in town hunting Oliver." Roy explained.

"Who? Whose hunting Oliver?" Roy could hear the Team gathering around Felicity at her desk.

"It's an arms dealer. His biggest client went missing about four months ago." Roy took a moment to take a deep breath as he knew what question they would ask next. Only this time it was Oliver asking the question.

"Who is it Roy?"

"It's my dad." Roy said resignedly.

"Come to the lair and let's talk." Oliver directed, his tone of voice leaving no room for discussion.

"I'll be there in five." Roy told them before hanging up the phone. He dreaded telling the Team about his dad and wondered how long he could keep his deepest, darkest secrets hidden now that his dad was back in town.

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><p><strong>AN: So... anyone curious about the relationship between Roy and Roy Sr.? Please leave me reviews and let me know what you think!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: Decisions

**AN: I want to send a HUGE thanks to everyone who has already favorited, followed, and reviewed this story! I really appreciate you all and you are all amazing. To the guests who I am unable to thank personally... THANK YOU!**

**Mic RiddyBanon has once again been amazing and helped with the beta work for this chapter. I don't know what I would do without my betas!**

**Disclaimer: Seeing as Arrow premieres on the CW in just 1 short week (insert fangirl scream!) I'm pretty sure that means that I do not own it!**

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><p><em>"Someone's in town hunting Oliver." Roy explained.<em>

_"Who? Who's__hunting Oliver?" Roy could hear the Team gathering around Felicity at her desk._

_"It's an arms dealer. His biggest client went missing about four months ago." Roy took a moment to take a deep breath as he knew what question they would ask next. Only this time it was Oliver asking the question._

_"Who is it Roy?"_

_"It's my dad." Roy said resignedly._

_"Come to the lair and let's talk." Oliver directed, his tone of voice leaving no room for discussion._

_"I'll be there in five." Roy told them before hanging up the phone. He dreaded telling the Team about his dad and wondered how long he could keep his deepest, darkest secrets hidden now that his dad was in town._

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Decisions<strong>

Oliver was doing inverted crunches in the lair as Diggle and Sara were sparring on the training mats and Felicity sat at her computer desk. He wasn't sure exactly what she was doing as they had no mission to work on right now and she wasn't even looking at her computer. She had just been staring at him, watching him train, and then she looked down to her left hand, again. She had been doing that a lot the last two months, admiring her engagement ring he assumed. The thought brought a smile to his face as he could still remember clearly the day that he went to purchase the ring.

_**Two Months Ago...**_

_Oliver and Diggle were just leaving Queen Consolidated when Oliver finally decided to go ahead with his plan._

_"Diggle..." Oliver said as he turned to his good friend who was walking beside him. "...we need to make a stop on the way home."_

_"Sure. Where?" Diggle asked as he opened the car door for Oliver._

_"The jewelry store!" Oliver stated as he entered the car, leaving a baffled Diggle on the curb. He couldn't help the huge smile that was plastered on his face. He had been thinking about this for the last two months, ever since they finally put Slade away. Diggle entered the car moments later, glaring at Oliver in the mirror._

_"You sure man?" Diggle asked, clearly understanding what Oliver was implying. He had seen the way that Oliver and Felicity had grown closer together, if that was even possible, and had known __that this day was coming. He just wanted to make sure that his partner was truly__ ready for this level of commitment._

_"Yeah." Oliver said as his smile grew even wider. "I'm sure."_

_"Okay__. To the jewelry store it is then." Diggle said as the car pulled away from the curb, making the short drive to the most prominent jewelry store in Starling City. _If he's going to do this then he's gonna do it right._ He thought to himself as they walked through the door._

_Oliver took his time looking for the perfect ring. He knew it would have to be simple as Felicity didn't care for over the top, extravagant jewelry. However, he also wanted it to be something that screamed Oliver and Felicity, something that would remind her of them every time she looked at it. It took over an hour before he saw it. The light suddenly reflecting off something in his peripheral vision. He walked over to a corner case that held rings with gemstones in them and he bent over the case, looking closely at the ring that had caught his eye._

_"I want to see this one." Oliver told the jeweler, pointing at the ring in question. His small smile again grew as the ring was gently pulled out of the case and handed to Oliver for inspection. "It's perfect!" Oliver whispered, causing Diggle to look over his shoulder at the ring. It was a simple ring, it was white gold with an emerald placed in the center, two smaller diamonds__ on either side, and then two even smaller diamonds on the sides of those. It was just five simple stones, one of which was the same deep green as Oliver's Arrow suit._

_"She does seem to like the color green." Diggle stated with a laugh, thinking about the many times he had watched Felicity stare at Oliver while the other man was in his leathers. "You don't think that would draw too much attention." He asked the younger man, giving him a pointed look that clearly conveyed the real question. _It won't give any clues as to your nightly activities will it?_ He wanted to make sure Oliver had thought through all the possibilities._

_"No, it's her favorite stone. How can I _not_ get it for her?" Oliver answered, letting Diggle know that yes, he had thought this through. "Can you engrave it?" Oliver asked, turning back to the jeweler standing on the other side of the display case._

_"Yes Mr. Queen, of course. What would you like it to say?"_

_Oliver took a moment to think, trying to decide the perfect way to let her know that she would always be _his_ girl, his one and only. Suddenly he remembered something that she said to him after Tockman and knew, with absolute certainty, exactly what he wanted it to say._

_"I want it to say...'My Girl. Always!'" Oliver told the man. He noticed the look on Diggle's face, the huge smile his friend had, clearly approving. "When will it be ready?" Oliver asked the jeweler._

_"We will need two days to engrave it and polish it Mr. Queen." The man answered as he drew up the paperwork and Oliver paid for the ring, not even looking at the price tag._

_"Perfect. Call me as soon as it's ready please." Oliver told the man as they shook hands. "Oh, and I expect complete discretion." Oliver said seriously, pinning the man with an intense glare. "Or I'll take my business elsewhere next time."_

_"Of course...Mr. Queen." The man stammered, taken back a bit at the intensity in Oliver's glare. He stood, dumbfounded, as he watched Oliver Queen and his bodyguard leave the store._

_Once in the car Diggle turned to look at Oliver, who still had a smile plastered on his face. "You know you're going to have to tone down that smile or she's gonna know something's up."_

_"I know. I just can't wait to give it to her." Oliver said thoughtfully. It had taken him the entire ride to Verdant to get his facial features under control._

**Present Day...**

Oliver was pulled from his thoughts as the phone in the lair rang. Felicity answered on the second ring.

"Hey Roy, what's up?" Felicity asked cheerfully, however she was still distracted with the way the light was reflecting off her ring. "What is it Roy? What's wrong?" She suddenly grew very serious and sat up straight in her chair, looking intently to Oliver. "Who? Who'shunting Oliver?"

At the last comment from Felicity he dropped to the floor and walked over to stand next to her as she put the phone on speaker so the Team could hear the entire conversation, instead of just her side of it.

"It's an arms dealer. His biggest client went missing about four months ago." Roy said from the other end of the line. It sounded to Oliver like the kid had been punched in the gut and still wasn't able to draw a full breath.

"Who is it Roy?" Oliver asked, needing to know who they were working with now.

"It's my dad." Roy said resignedly.

Oliver's head shot up at this revelation. He looked to the rest of his Team and noticed their surprise at this as well.

"Come to the lair and let's talk." Oliver directed, he made sure that his tone of voice left no room for discussion.

"I'll be there in five." Roy said before hanging up.

Once Roy hung up the phone the discussion in the lair started.

"I thought Roy's parents were both dead." Diggle stated. "Isn't that what he told us?"

"Yes, well, we all know how dead people don't stay dead around here. I mean there's Merlyn, then Slade and Isabitch, even you Sara." Felicity chimed in. She suddenly realized what she had said when Oliver and Diggle both gave her a pointed look. Her eyes grew wide and her hands flew to her mouth to stop her rambling. "I am so sorry Sara. I did _not_ mean it like that!"

"Don't worry Felicity, I knew what you meant." Sara said with a laugh. She always thought it was funny when Felicity rambled as she so often did, and the embarrassment that inevitably followed. "Besides, you're right. People from Starling City are hard to kill." She said with a smile as she gave Oliver a pointed look. She heard Diggle laughing and allowed her own small laugh to escape.

"I think to start with we should focus on who was buying the weapons here in Starling." Oliver said, drawing the attention back to the task at hand. "Maybe if we can figure out who that was we can work the case from there."

"Well, Roy said it was about four months ago that the guy went missing. So, the obvious question is who did we take down four months ago?" Felicity asked, turning to her computers. She was about to start typing when suddenly the realization dawned on her. "Slade!"

"It has to be. He is the only one we stopped, four months ago, that was buying weapons from an arms dealer." Diggle stated, having come to the same conclusion.

"So we are dealing with the man who was supplying those Australian weapons to Slade." Sara commented. "And he just happens to be Roy's father."

"Roy didn't seem to realize that the man was alive. I could hear the disbelief in his voice still when he told us who it was." Oliver observed. This meant that they couldn't rely on Roy to be able to provide the needed intel. They would have to go about this the same way they did any other mission.

"Felicity, find anything you can on Roy's dad." Oliver said as he looked down to his fiancé. "See if you can figure out where he went after he was presumed dead."

"Right, I'll also see if I can track down where he's staying while he's here." Felicity said as her hands found their place on her keyboard. "Oliver?" _**  
><strong>_

"Yes Felicity."

"We're going to be there for Roy no matter what right?" Felicity asked, hoping that she was right in the answer that Oliver would give in response.

"Of course Felicity. We are a Team, and we will always have each other's backs." Oliver said with a smile, noting the looks on Diggle and Sara's faces as well, agreeing with him.

"I was hoping you would say that." Roy said from the top of the stairs. The Team looked to him and Sara noted that he looked like he had seen a ghost. "Because I don't know if I can do this alone." The kid admitted.

"Roy." Oliver said as he walked up to his young protégé. "You will never have to face _anything _alone again!" Oliver said with finality.

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><p><strong>AN: Well... did you like it? Hate it? Favorite part? You know the drill, let me know in a review! Please :D<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Revelations

**AN: Thank you to everyone who has left me a review, especially those guests who I am unable to thank personally!**

**Mic RiddyBanon, you, my friend, are invaluable! Your beta work keeps my readers from screaming at me for all the mistakes :D**

**Disclaimer: Less than a week away from the premier of Arrow on the CW! (Translation: Not Mine)**

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><p><em>"We're going to be there for Roy no matter what right?" Felicity asked, hoping that she was right in the answer that Oliver would give in response.<em>

_"Of course Felicity. We are a Team, and we will always have each other's backs." Oliver said with a smile, noting the looks on Diggle and Sara's faces as well, agreeing with him._

_"I was hoping you would say that." Roy said from the top of the stairs. The Team looked to him and Sara noted that he looked like he had seen a ghost. "Because I don't know if I can do this alone." The kid admitted._

_"Roy." Oliver said as he walked up to his young protégé. "You will never have to face anything alone again!" Oliver said with finality._

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Revelations<strong>

Felicity turned back to her computer, ready to track down this man that was disrupting the peace in their lives. She started by pulling up feeds from the traffic cameras around Roy's house, trying to get a good shot of the man's face and, if she was lucky, the car and license plates that he was using. As she worked she also paid attention to the rest of the Team, making sure they took good care of one of their own in trouble.

"Roy, are you okay?" Sara asked as the younger man moved deeper into the lair to join his Team.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Roy answered much to Felicity's amusement. _They all use that word _way_ too much!_ She thought as she worked to enhance a picture on her screen.

"Hey Roy." Felicity called to the younger man as she turned to face the Team. She noted that Roy was staring at a spot on the far wall and Sara, Diggle, and Oliver were exchanging looks that clearly said they didn't believe Roy. "Can you come look at this picture and tell me if it's him?" Felicity asked carefully, pulling Roy out of his own thoughts.

"Sure." Roy answered Felicity as he moved to stand next to the blonde.

Oliver watched Roy carefully. He had a feeling that something was going on, more so than Roy simply seeing a man that he thought was dead. He thought he saw a hint of fear in Roy's eyes -and that wasn't something he normally saw in the kid's face. He moved to stand on the other side of Felicity so that he could see the picture on the screen as well as Roy's reaction.

Oliver noticed that when Roy saw the picture on the screen he immediately became more tense than he previously had been. Roy clenched his hands into fists at his side and responded quietly with a voice full of tension.

"Yeah, that's him." Roy confirmed. He was tense again, he could feel all his muscles reacting to his emotions and after a moment he realized that he had his hands clenched at his side too.

"Did he tell you what he wanted?" Oliver asked, attempting to draw Roy's attention from the screen to focus on something else.

"He said he wants me to join the family business." Roy answered, voice completely devoid of emotion, as he walked around Felicity's desk towards the training dummies. _**  
><strong>_

"You said he was an arms dealer right?" Diggle asked, drawing on the minimal information that they had on the man at the moment.

"Yeah. He wants me to join him." Roy commented as he turned back to the Team. He locked his eyes with Oliver's as he continued to explain. "He heard that the Arrow stopped his biggest client about four months ago. I can only think that it was Slade. He wants me to help track you and the Team down, - and kill you." Roy had to break his gaze away from Oliver's as he finished. He felt like a traitor already simply from revealing his dad's plans to the Team.

"What did you tell him?" Sara asked, trying to make sure that there was no judgment to be heard in her voice. She thought she knew what Roy would have said and was simply hoping that she was right.

"I didn't say anything." Roy said as he turned his back to the Team and walked closer to the training dummy, placing his hand on top of it and taking a deep breath, clearly remembering what had happened next. "He told me I had until tomorrow to make my decision." Roy suddenly turned and faced his Team again, noticing that they were all looking at him, waiting to see what his answer would be. "I won't. There is nothing that he can do that will make me give up this Team. You guys are the only family I have and I will _not_ let _that man_ ruin the only good thing I have!" Roy said with conviction. He wanted them to know that there was _no way_ he was going to help his dad complete his mission!**  
><strong>

"Roy, we know that you would never do anything to hurt any of us." Felicity said as she gave him a reassuring smile. "What we need to know is how we can help."

Roy took a sudden step towards them as he remembered something else his dad had said.

"We need to get Thea under more protection!" Roy stated, suddenly worried for his girlfriend. He instantly saw the same look of concern mirrored on Oliver's face.

"Why?" Oliver demanded to know.

"He said..." Roy took a deep breath and swallowed, attempting to keep his emotions - and his anger - under control. "...he said if I didn't cooperate he would hurt people I cared about. That means Thea." Roy stated.

"Is there anyone else that will need protection?" Diggle asked as he pulled his phone out to make the necessary phone calls.

"Sin." Roy answered as he looked at Sara. "She would be the only other person outside the Team that he could try to use to get to me. I don't have anyone else." He hung his head at the final statement. He really didn't have many people that he trusted, cared about. This Team, Thea, and Sin were the only people in the world that cared about what happened to him.

Felicity's heart broke for Roy at his admission at not having many people that cared about him. There was the Team, Thea, and Sin. That was only six people in the whole world that cared anything about this young man standing before them. She suddenly rose from her chair and walked over to Roy, wrapping him in a tight hug.

"You have us Roy." Felicity said quietly. She held onto him tightly, and could see Diggle, Oliver, and Sara move to place their hands on his shoulders. "Nothing will ever change that. You're part of our Team, our _family_, we will _always _be here for you, whether you need us or not!" She finally felt some of the tension slowly melting away from Roy after a moment.

"She's right Roy." Oliver added. "We will _always_ have you're back, just as you've had ours."

"Thanks guys." Roy said as he finally pulled away from Felicity. He knew that if he allowed her to hug him too long then Oliver would start to get overprotective of her again and he did _not_ want that. "It really means a lot to me, knowing you're there for me."

Diggle smiled reassuringly. "I'll call the mansion and make sure things are set for Thea. I'll have them keep her at the mansion for now."

"And I'll go find Sin." Sara sad as she turned to grab her leather jacket.

"Take her to the mansion too. She's friends with Thea right?" Oliver asked, knowing that the Queen mansion was the safest place for the women right now. _**  
><strong>_

"Yeah." Roy answered, thankful that his Team knew exactly what to do to help.

Diggle and Sara both turned to take care of their respective tasks. Oliver turned to Felicity and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before turning to Roy.

"You look like you need to work off some steam." Oliver said to the younger man as he walked towards the training mats. "Want to spar?"

"Yeah, I really need to hit something right now!" Roy admitted a little too quickly before he realized that he would be hitting Oliver. He turned to Felicity at her small laugh.

"Don't worry Roy." Felicity said with a smile. "Even if you do hurt him it will serve him right."

Roy's mouth dropped open at that comment. He couldn't believe what she had just said.

"What?!" Oliver asked, attempting to sound offended which instead just came across as comic relief to Roy and he laughed in response.

"I said that if he hurts you then it serves you right!" Felicity said with an ornery smile, her eyes shining with joy. "You spend hours showing off your superior fighting skills and flaunting that perfect body in front of me on the Salmon Ladder. It's time someone took your ego down a notch."

"Okay guys, really. I'm standing right here!" Roy said, attempting to sound offended. If anyone asked him he would vehemently deny the fact that he enjoyed the constant ribbing between the two, as long as it didn't get too mushy. "Digg, help me out here man!" He said as he turned to the other man, only to realize he was on the phone and in no mood to get in the middle of what was going on.

"Come on Roy. Felicity needs to get back to work... admiring my abs!" Oliver said quite seriously, earning him a glare from the IT Tech. "Come show me what you've got."

Roy took the bait and moved to the edge of the training mats where he paused for a moment, trying to decide if he would remove his shirt as all the guys usually did when training. After only a moment he decided to keep it on as he suspected that he would have a nasty bruise forming where his dad had punched him in the gut. He moved on to the mats to face Oliver and was happy that even if Oliver noticed his hesitation, which he probably did as he had ninja skills according to Felicity, he didn't mention it. Nor did he mention the fact that Roy kept his shirt on. He simply moved into a fighting stance, that Roy mirrored, and the sparring began.

Oliver had noticed Roy's hesitation on the mats and realized that the kid was trying to decide whether or not to remove his shirt. Although he kept his face carefully neutral he was worried about his Teammate. He had suspected that Roy had been punched, probably in the gut, pretty hard and knew of only one way to find out without asking Roy straight up about it. After a couple of minutes of sparring Oliver placed a well-aimed hit to Roy's stomach. He was impressed with the fact that Roy was able to keep from crying out in pain, however, he still noticed the look of pain in his face and how he stepped away, holding his abdomen, for a moment before turning back ready to continue.

Oliver chose not to say anything but his suspicion had just been confirmed. Roy's dad had hit him, and that revelation enraged him. He found himself wondering just what lengths the man would go to to get his own way. _**  
><strong>_

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><p><strong>AN: So, what do you think about these revelations? Please leave me a review to let me know what you think of this chapter! Thanks :)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: Demons

**AN: As always, thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews! I sinceriously appreciate each and everyone of you who favorite, follow, and review.**

**Mic RiddyBanon, thank you for getting these chapters back to me so quickly! I really appreciate it and I am sure my readers do too!**

**Disclaimer: As much as I like to play with these guys Arrow does not belong to me. (Sad face)**

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><p><em>"Come on Roy. Felicity needs to get back to work... admiring my abs!" Oliver said quite seriously, earning him a glare from the IT Tech. "Come show me what you've got."<em>

_Roy took the bait and moved to the edge of the training mats where he paused for a moment, trying to decide if he would remove his shirt as all the guys usually did when training. After only a moment he decided to keep it on as he suspected that he would have a nasty bruise forming where his dad had punched him in the gut. He moved on to the mats to face Oliver and was happy that even if Oliver noticed his hesitation, which he probably did as he had ninja skills according to Felicity, he didn't mention it. Nor did he mention the fact that Roy kept his shirt on. He simply moved into a fighting stance, that Roy mirrored, and the sparring began._

_Oliver had noticed Roy's hesitation on the mats and realized that the kid was trying to decide whether or not to remove his shirt. Although he kept his face carefully neutral he was worried about his Teammate. He had suspected that Roy had been punched, probably in the gut, pretty hard and knew of only one way to find out without asking Roy straight up about it. After a couple of minutes of sparring Oliver placed a well-aimed hit to Roy's stomach. He was impressed with the fact that Roy was able to keep from crying out in pain, however, he still noticed the look of pain in his face and how he stepped away, holding his abdomen, for a moment before turning back ready to continue._

_Oliver chose not to say anything but his suspicion had just been confirmed. Roy's dad had hit him, and that revelation enraged him. He found himself wondering just what lengths the man would go to to get his own way. _

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Demons<strong>

Roy and Oliver trained for almost two full hours, Roy was needing to let off some steam, and Oliver knew that Roy would need sleep too but would have to be completely exhausted first or it would never happen. Diggle had only stuck around for a few minutes before he headed out to make sure the security at the house was adequate enough. Sara had checked in after an hour informing them that she had found Sin and both women were now headed to the mansion. There was nothing left to do but train, sleep, and wait for Felicity's computers to find something.

Felicity watched as the guys trained. She could still see the anger rolling off of Roy and wished that there was something that she could do to help him, but she knew that Oliver was probably doing the best thing right now in giving Roy something to hit. She noticed on more than one occasion that Roy was able to get in a good punch or kick and she suspected that Oliver was allowing it to happen as he didn't normally end up losing to anyone but Sara. She thought that Oliver might be a bit sore later on, but the hits wouldn't do any real damage. She finally tore her eyes away from the two men and went back to work, following more leads on this man that was Roy's dad. She just hoped that by the time Roy passed out she would have some useful information to share with Oliver.

Oliver pushed Roy harder than usual. He was trying to make the kid reach complete exhaustion so that he would be able to sleep. He was careful, however, to not land any more blows to the area of Roy's torso that seemed to be sore. He didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to it as he could see it might bring up painful memories for the kid, and right now he was trying to help Roy forget.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Roy was exhausted. Oliver had pinned him on the floor, again, and this time Roy wasn't sure he would be able to peel himself back off of the floor by himself. He lay there for a moment to regain his breath, before Oliver reached out to give him a hand up. Roy took it willingly and Oliver easily pulled him to his feet. He was sore, but exhausted. _Maybe I'll be able to make it through the night after all._ Roy thought to himself as he grabbed a drink of water.

"Why don't you go grab a shower then crash on the cot." Oliver suggested, as he downed his own bottle of water.

"Sure." Roy agreed quickly. "It sure beats going home." He muttered to himself as he went to the bathroom to shower.

Oliver watched as Roy walked away. He really felt for the young man, even though he didn't know everything that Roy was going through, he could see the demons that the kid was warring with inside. He could see it because he had been there himself with his own demons. He simply hoped that he would be able to help Roy overcome them and grow stronger in spite of them.

"Is he going to be okay?" Felicity asked, her concern evident. Oliver walked over and sat on the desk next to her before he answered.

"He's fighting some pretty strong demons." Oliver said as Felicity turned in her chair and leaned back to look up at him. "Once he figures out how to face them and fight them he will be fine."

"Any idea what's going on?" Felicity asked.

"I suspect something but..." Oliver started to explain before coming to the conclusion that it wasn't his place to start making assumptions. They would have to wait for Roy to open up.

"But you don't want to say anything until you know for sure, or he opens up about it." Felicity commented, proving to Oliver that she really did understand him.

"When I came back from the Lian Yu I had my own demons to fight." Oliver reached out for her hand, holding it gently in his. "You and Diggle were there for me. You knew that bad things had happened and yet you didn't push me about it. Not too much anyway. I think if you had I would have closed myself off even more and my demons would have eaten me alive."

"And you want to make sure we do the same thing for Roy." Felicity stated, again knowing what Oliver was thinking.

"He needs to know that we are there for him whenever he _is_ ready to talk but that we won't push him about his past. Digg, Sara, me... we don't talk about our pasts and no one pushes for details. We, as a Team, need to do the same for him." Oliver stated with conviction as he locked eyes with Felicity.

Felicity simply smiled back at Oliver. He was clearly remembering all the demons he had faced himself after his time on the Island and she was beyond happy that he had found a way to move past them. She knew that Oliver would be able to do the same for Roy, if he let him.

"Have you found anything?" Oliver asked, changing the subject, even if only slightly.

"I have a couple leads on where he could be staying but nothing definite yet." Felicity said as she turned back to her computer, enjoying the feel of Oliver's hand on her shoulder as he shifted to be able to see the computer screens as well. "I'm running his picture through all facial recognition programs, A.R.G.U.S., Interpol, FBI, and any others I can sneak into. I haven't found anything yet but I will."

"I trust you." Oliver said as he smiled at her. "What about their history here in Starling?" _**  
><strong>_

"Of course!" Felicity said with a hint of disbelief. "Why didn't _I _think of that?!"

"Because you were trying to figure out what he looked like and where he is right now." Oliver said with a short laugh. "I think I remember Thea saying something about how Roy's mom died of an overdose. Why don't you check DEA files to see if there is anything there."

"Okay." Felicity said, already somewhat distracted as she started to type furiously at her keyboard.

"One more thing." Oliver said as he stood from his place on her desk. She looked up at him, encouraging him to continue his train of thought as he now seemed hesitant. "Check the DA's and Courthouse files too, see if the family ended up in court for anything." _**  
><strong>_

"Anything specific?" Felicity asked, having a feeling that this had to do with his hunch that he wouldn't explain.

"Just see what you can find." Oliver answered gently, attempting to add a smile but failing, before walking away.

Roy emerged, freshly showered, a few short minutes later to find Felicity typing furiously at her computer, Oliver was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Oliver?" Roy asked, surprised that he wasn't in the lair.

"He went upstairs to get something." Felicity explained, only glancing up from her screens for a second. "Seems we ran out of vodka down here."

Roy brought a chair over to where Felicity was sitting at her computers, still working.

"Have you found anything?" Roy asked quietly, almost afraid of what she had uncovered.

"Not yet Roy, but I will. There's nowhere on earth he can hide where I won't find him." Felicity told him determinedly.

"I'm sure that's true." Roy said with a forced laugh. He was tired, worried, and was having a hard time keeping the memories at bay now that he didn't have anything to focus on. "Is there anything that you need from me?" He asked, almost afraid she would say yes.

"No." Felicity turned to Roy with an encouraging smile. "I'm just waiting for my searches to come up with something. It's just a waiting game now."

"How about some vodka while we wait?" Oliver asked as he finished descending the stairs. He watched as Felicity rose to get three glasses for them and was hardly surprised that she would be joining them.

Oliver, Felicity, and Roy all settled down for some of Oliver's favorite Russian vodka. Roy knew that this was Oliver's drink of choice when it came to talking about something difficult and simply hoped that they wouldn't press him for details.

"To friends." Oliver said as he raised his shot glass. He smiled at Roy and Felicity before downing it. The other two followed suite, each setting down their glasses with a loud thunk. Oliver filled them again.

"To the Family that we _choose _for ourselves." Felicity said with a smile, thinking of Team Arrow and how they were all closer than a real family. Oliver and Roy both nodded their heads in agreement before downing the next shot, again setting down their glasses with a thunk. This time Roy was the one to fill the glasses.

"To always having each other's backs." Roy said thoughtfully as he raised his glass one last time. Felicity and Oliver again nodded their heads in agreement, knowing exactly what Roy meant.

The trio sat in silence for a few minutes. Oliver and Felicity were thinking about what, if anything, they could say to help Roy right now, again reading each other's thoughts and keeping silent, waiting for him to open up if he wanted to. Roy was lost in his own thoughts about his dad and the unpleasant memories that having him back in town brought back to the surface. He was more thankful than he could say that Oliver and Felicity were not throwing questions at him right now as he really didn't want to talk about it.

"I think I'm going to go lay down." Roy finally said as he stood. "Thanks for the vodka Oliver."

"Yep, anytime." Oliver replied with an encouraging smile. "Felicity and I will probably be here all night working on her research." Oliver told his younger Teammate. He wanted Roy to know that they were still here for him without embarrassing him.

"Thanks for the heads up." Roy said as he turned to go lay down on the cot in the corner.

"Goodnight Roy." Felicity called after him.

"Night Felicity."

Oliver and Felicity settled into the desk chairs in front of Felicity's computers and simply held hands, Oliver rubbing his thumb over Felicity's engagement ring, as they waited for the searches to come up with something. Oliver had turned off half of the lights in the lair to hopefully allow Roy to sleep more easily. He was keeping an eye on the young man who was now sleeping in the corner while at the same time listening to Felicity quietly talk about wedding details. They sat in quiet conversation for the better part of three hours before Oliver suddenly tensed.

"Oliver, what's wrong?" Felicity asked, sensing the change in her fiancé.

"Roy's having a nightmare." Oliver answered as he stood.

"How do you know?" Felicity wasn't sure how he could tell as she hadn't even seen Roy move or heard him in hours.

"His breathing just got faster and he's twitching." Oliver explained as he started to walk quietly towards the cot. "You have enough nightmares yourself and you know how to identify them in others."

Oliver heard the door at the top of the stairs open and Sara start down into the lair, but remained intent on the young man just in front of him. Just as he stepped around the computer desk they heard the first sounds from Roy in hours.

"NO! Don't hurt her!"

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><p><strong>AN: Well... thoughts? Please leave me a review to let me know what you think!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5: Nightmare

**AN: Thank you all for continuing to support me with this fic! I really appreciate everyone. To the guest reviewers who I am not able to thank personally via PM, THANK YOU!**

**Mic RiddyBanon, thank you for keeping up with the beta on this constant flow of chapters! I really appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: Hey guys... guess what! Arrow season premier on the CW (in the US. sorry all my out of country friends) airs in 4 days!**

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><p><em>"Oliver, what's wrong?" Felicity asked, sensing the change in her fiancé.<em>

_"Roy's having a nightmare." Oliver answered as he stood._

_"How do you know?" Felicity wasn't sure how he could tell as she hadn't even seen Roy move or heard him in hours._

_"His breathing just got faster and he's twitching." Oliver explained as he started to walk quietly towards the cot. "You have enough nightmares yourself and you know how to identify them in others."_

_Oliver heard the door at the top of the stairs open and Sara start down into the lair, but remained intent on the young man just in front of him. Just as he stepped around the computer desk they heard the first sounds from Roy in hours._

_"NO! Don't hurt her!"_

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Nightmare<strong>

At Roy's scream Oliver stepped up to the younger man and placed a hand on his shoulder to wake him.

"Roy, wake up!" Oliver said forcefully. He noticed that Roy's eyes immediately shot open and he ducked just in time to avoid a hit to his jaw in response. Not even half a second later Sara was at his side.

"Roy! Roy wake up!" Sara called to her Teammate. She had just gotten back to the lair when Roy had called out and she had immediately stepped forwardto help Oliver if needed. She was glad she had as Roy had become violent at the sound of his voice. She looked up and met Oliver's eyes, who had moved to stand behind Roy, and noticed a look of concern in his face. She had a feeling that Oliver knew what was going on. He nodded to her, telling her to continue to get through to Roy who seemed to have reacted differently, non-violently, to the sound of her voice.

"Roy, it's okay. You're safe." Sara said calmly. "No one's here to hurt you Roy. You're safe, you're in the lair." Sara repeated the reassuring words over and over and was happy to see Roy starting to calm. His breathing was still rapid, and he was still tense, but he was finally coming to his senses. She noticed the moment he was fully awake and aware of what was going on and the look in his eyes turned from fear to shame and guilt.

Roy finally came fully awake to see Sara kneeling next to the cot he had been sleeping on. His heart was racing and his breath was ragged. He suddenly realized what had happened and immediately looked away from her concerned gaze. He swallowed hard, trying to get his emotions under control before he said anything. Suddenly he remembered that he had swung at someone, probably Oliver as it had sounded like a man, and jerked his head up and looked around. As he turned his head Oliver stepped around into his line of sight.

"I'm..." Roy swallowed again, he felt so ashamed that he had not only had a nightmare in the lair, about his past, but he had swung at Oliver who was only trying to help. "I'm sorry Oliver! I didn't mean to swing at you." He lowered his gaze again, feeling guilty for how he had reacted to his Teammate, his mentor, who had only been trying to help.

Oliver could see that Roy was battling his emotions again. He could see how badly the kid was struggling right now and knew that there was only one way that he could help Roy at the moment. He looked up to Sara and nodded towards the door, silently telling her that they need a few minutes to talk. Sara rose and walked towards Felicity, who was standing next to her computers, her eyes bright with unshed tears, and laid a hand on her shoulder. _**  
><strong>_

"Why don't we go upstairs and get some coffee." Sara suggested. Felicity's only response was a small nod of her head before she grabbed her tablet and the two women turned and left the lair, leaving Oliver and Roy in peace. As they climbed the stairs Sara sent a quick text to Diggle to let them know they were in the club and to come there first when he got back.

Oliver moved silently across the lair, back to the bottle of vodka on Felicity's table. He poured two glasses and settled into a chair, Roy hadn't moved but Oliver hoped he would join him shortly. He stared thoughtfully at the clear liquid in his glass for a moment before he spoke.

"My first night at the mansion after the Island I had a really bad nightmare." Oliver began quietly, just loud enough for Roy to hear what he was saying. "I had decided to sleep on the floor by the open window because my bed was too comfortable, I was used to sleeping on hard stone and packed earth. A big storm rolled in and the sound of the rain must have triggered the nightmare. It was of the night the Gambit went down. We were in the middle of a category two storm when everything happened and the sound of the rain that night must have triggered the memory." Oliver paused for a moment, looking to a far corner of the lair. Roy had come to join him while he was talking but Oliver chose not to look at him, somewhat lost in his own memories._**  
><strong>_

"I was in the middle of the nightmare when suddenly I woke up to find my Momon the floor with my hand crushing her windpipe and Walter looking at me like I was insane. I came to before I could do any real damage but I couldn't believe what I had done. If I hadn't have snapped out of it I would have killed my own mother on my first night back home from the Island. I was so afraid that they would see me as damaged after that, especially if they knew what I had gone through during those five years." Oliver then looked at Roy. "It took me a long time before I realized that I was wrong. They don't see me as damaged, or weak, because they know who I am today and how those experiences changed me, made me stronger."

Oliver looked back down to his glass for a moment before downing his drink. Roy was sitting quietly, lost in his own thoughts, as he stared at his hands.

"How do you deal with it?" Roy asked quietly. "The nightmares?"

"It's not easy." Oliver explained carefully, trying to make sure he said the right thing that would actually help Roy. "For a long time I'd have them every night. They would be different, most of the time something would happen that would trigger a memory. After time I developed relationships, I made friends, and they were just there for me. They would let me talk when I needed to and not judge me for things that had happened in the past."

"Diggle and Felicity." Roy stated, knowing that they were who Oliver was talking about.

"Yeah." Oliver confirmed. "And Sara when she came back to Starling. We all have things in our past that we are not proud of or that haunt us. We each find a different way of dealing with it." Oliver thought for a moment before he spoke again. "How did you get past the nightmares before?"

"What makes you think I had them before?" Roy asked defensively, before noticing Oliver's raised eyebrow and the look that clearly said he wasn't fooling anyone. "I don't know. I think it was when I started helping people. I'd come across someone in the Glades being mugged, or beat up, and would step in. I would always sleep good that night. Just knowing that I was making a difference, even a small one, really helped. I was finally able to actually _do_ something and it would matter to someone."

"Something else that's helped meis just having Felicity around." Oliver said with a small smile. "She's my constant reminder that there is good in this world. She's the light that always brings me back from the darkness and she _always_ sees the good in me. I would honestly still be lost in the darkness of my past if it weren't for her." Oliver poured one more shot of vodka for himself. "Thea does that for you too. I've seen it." Roy nodded his head in agreement. "She loves you Roy. I know I haven't always been supportive of you two, but I can now tell you honestly that I don't think my sister could find anyone that is better for her than you are!"

"She deserves better." Roy said quietly, just before downing his shot of vodka.

"You know, I told Felicity the same thing." Oliver said with a laugh as they both knew how _that _had turned out.

"What if she doesn't want me?" Roy asked, tears welling up in his eyes, he blinked to keep them from spilling over. "What if she can't stand me once she finds out about my past?"

"Something I've learned about love is that it doesn't matter who you were or what you did in the past. What matters is the person that you are today. I know for a fact that Felicity would never have even given me the time of day before the Gambit, and she really didn't care for who I was when I came back. It wasn't until after the Undertaking, when _I_ began to change, that things changed between us." Oliver stood and placed a hand on Roy's shoulder. "Thea loves you for who you are _today_, not for what happened in your past."

Roy sat quietly with his own thoughts as Oliver picked up his bow and a few arrows. He watched as his mentor made a couple of small adjustments to the bow as he did a bit of target practice. _If Oliver can come through the experiences from the Island and still be as strong __as his is today,__ then maybe there is hope for me too._ He thought to himself.

It was a couple of minutes later that the men heard the door at the top of the stairs open and Felicity's familiar voice called down.

"Oliver?" Felicity asked cautiously. She didn't want to interrupt if they were still talking.

"You can come on down Felicity." Oliver called to her as he turned to put his bow away. He turned to her and smiled as she descended the stairs with Sara and Diggle close behind her.

"Okay good because my babies just found something."

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><p><strong>AN: As always, please leave me your thoughts in a review!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6: Results

**AN: And here is the much requested next chapter! :) Thank you all for your continual support! I really appreciate everyone. Even the guests who I am unable to PM and thank personally.**

**Mic RiddyBanon, thank you for putting up with my constant overload of chapters for this fic. I really appreciate your awesome beta assistance!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own it! Therefore, watch it on the CW as it airs in the US on Weds! However, also please keep things spoiler free from here on out as not all my readers are in the US and therefore may not see the episodes the same time we do. Thank you!**

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><p><em>"Oliver?" Felicity asked cautiously. She didn't want to interrupt if they were still talking.<em>

_"You can come on down Felicity." Oliver called to her as he turned to put his bow away. He turned to her and smiled as she descended the stairs with Sara and Diggle close behind her._

_"Okay good because my babies just found something."_

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Results<strong>

"What do you have Felicity?" Oliver asked as he went to stand next to her at her computer desk, resting a hand on the back of her chair. The rest of the Team gathered around her as well as she pulled up several things on her monitors.

"I know who Roy's dad is. Well, I mean besides his dad, because he's obviously that. I mean they look alike and everything, so they're definitely related..."

"Felicity!" Oliver called her name, stopping her rambling. _Being told he's just like his dad isn't helping matters._ He thought to himself as he saw Roy tense at the words. "Results?"

"Right." Felicity said, her face red as she realized what she had just said. "Sorry. So, he doesn't go by Roy Harper Sr. anymore." Felicity started as she was pulling up the information on her computers. "A.R.G.U.S. has been looking for him for several years. They are calling him 'The Dealer'. He's been involved in dealing weapons and drugs for over twenty years." She took a moment to look up and catch Oliver's eyes. They both knew what that meant, that this man had been doing this since Roy was born, maybe even before. Oliver gave her a reassuring smile and she continued.

"He was married to Susan Harper and they had one child." At this Felicity looked up to Roy and smiled at him before she continued. "Roy Harper Sr..."

"Can we just call him 'The Dealer'...please." Roy asked, needing to think of this man as someone other than his father.

"Okay." Felicity agreed easily after seeing the pained expression on Roy's face. "The Dealer went missing about eight years ago. They suspect that he was involved with a drug cartel from Mexico and something went wrong. He must have gone into hiding. He was presumed dead by the SCPD in a drug related incident. He started to show up on A.R.G.U.S.'s radar one year later in 2007 as a weapons dealer. He had sold a missile launcher to a man named Edward Fyers which is what brought him to the attention of Waller."

Felicity was so engrossed in passing along the information that she missed the subtle change in Oliver at the mention of Fyers. Diggle and Sara however did not, and Diggle had to wonder exactly what memories his young partner was thinking about now.

"Apparently he spent the next several years building up his arms business with only the occasional foray into drugs." At the mention of this Felicity looked up to Oliver and he could see that her face had drained of color.

"Felicity?" Oliver asked, clearly concerned. "What is it?"

"Um," Felicity swallowed hard before continuing. "He is the one who helped Count Vertigo get started, helped him develop his formula."

The lair fell into such complete silence that you could have heard a pin drop. They could all remember what havoc Count Vertigo had unleashed upon Starling. Thea had almost been killed because of the drug, the Count had injected Oliver with an overdose of Vertigo, and he had nearly killed Felicity because of it as well. He was the reason that Oliver killed again after his second return from the Island, after he promised to change in honor of Tommy.

"My dad, The Dealer, was responsible for _that_?" Roy asked shocked. He couldn't believe that his dad had been a part of _that_. He turned and stalked away from the Team, unleashing his anger on the training dummy that just happened to be closest to him.

The Team watched in silence, unsure of what to do to help, as Roy attacked the training dummy. They could see the rage rolling off the young man in waves. Finally, after a few minutes, Roy started to calm down. He stood in silence for a moment as he got his emotions under control before turning back to the Team.

"I need some air." Roy said as he grabbed his hoodie and headed to the door. "I'm going outside."

Sara and Diggle looked to Oliver, clearly concerned for their younger Teammate.

"I'm going to go keep an eye on him just in case." Sara said quietly before turning to follow Roy out. Oliver knew that she would stay out of sight and would be able to keep an eye out for The Dealer just in case he chose to come around.

"Thank you Sara." Oliver said in response, clearly thankful that she had thought to look out for him.

"It's been a while since we've had some food." Diggle stated, he knew that there wasn't much he could do here at the moment so he decided to do the one thing that he knew would help, especially as it was getting to be really early morning by that point. "I'm gonna go grab us some breakfast."

Once Roy, Sara, and Diggle had left the lair Oliver turned back to Felicity.

"What else did you find?" Oliver asked her. She still looked pale so he placed a hand gently on her cheek and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"It's nothing." Felicity said, unsure if she should share what else had come up in her searches.

"Felicity, I know you're holding something back." Oliver said gently as he lowered himself into a chair next to her so he could look her in the eyes more easily. "I need to know exactly what you've found so that I know better how to deal with this man."

Felicity knew that he was right, still, she hated revealing things about people that weren't her place to share. She also knew that this was probably what Roy had been talking about when he said he couldn't face this alone.

"Felicity." Oliver said gently, taking her hand in his. "I suspect that Roy's dad did some horrible things before he disappeared and I need to know if I'm right."

"Okay." Felicity said, nodding her head slightly. "Roy's mom died about five years ago from a drug overdose. Apparently Roy Sr. got her hooked originally and she was never able to stop. I also have her medical files." Felicity pulled her hand out of Oliver's and turned back to her computer, bringing up said documents. "It appears that she suffered from multiple cracked ribs, a bruised collarbone on several occasions, and broken bones on multiple occasions, not to mention she was almost always covered in bruises. Apparently she said she fell - a lot."

"He abused her." Oliver stated coldly.

"Apparently." Felicity said quietly as she turned to look at Oliver, tears evident in her voice. "Roy?"

"That's what I suspected." Oliver said as he reached for her hand to comfort her. "When he first called us it sounded like someone had knocked the wind out of him. Probably a well-aimed hit to his torso. I didn't want to ask him so I tested my theory another way."

"You hit him where you thought he had already been hurt." Felicity stated. She had seen it happen and had simply thought that Oliver had caught Roy off guard. Now, as she recalled the incident, she remembered Roy's reaction, how he had bent over in pain, holding his torso. He didn't usually react that way and now she knew why he had.

"It was the only way I could think of to confirm my suspicion without having to actually ask him." Oliver said quietly. He had hated having to do it that way, especially as he knew now that he had been right.

"Is that why you avoided hitting him there afterwards?" Felicity asked.

"Yes." Oliver answered, surprised that she had noticed. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.

"His nightmare." Felicity said suddenly. "Do you think..."

"Yes." Oliver answered her before she could even finish her question. "I think that when his dad hit him it brought all those memories that he had spent years burying back to the surface. He was clearly remembering his dad abusing his mom."

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><p><strong>AN: Phew... that was a LOT of information... don't you think? Please do me the honor of leaving me a review! :)<strong>


	7. Chapter 7: Instincts

**AN: Last update before the Season 3 Premiere tonight! REMINDER: KEEP THINGS SPOILER FREE PLEASE! This is a request on behalf of all my readers who are not in the US and therefore won't be able to see it tonight.**

**Mic RiddyBanon, thank you, thank you, thank you for being such an awesome beta.**

**Disclaimer: I think you all know by now that Arrow does not belong to me... right?!**

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><p><em>"His nightmare." Felicity said suddenly. "Do you think..."<em>

_"Yes." Oliver answered her before she could even finish her question. "I think that when his dad hit him it brought all those memories that he had spent years burying back to the surface. He was clearly remembering his dad abusing his mom."_

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Instincts<strong>

Roy put his hoodie on as he walked up the stairs and out of the lair. He headed straight outside and quickly climbed the fire escape of a neighboring building. Once he reached the roof he walked to the far edge and looked over a sleeping city.

"You don't have to babysit me you know." Roy said after a moment of silence. He knew that Sara had followed him and was now standing in the shadows. He wasn't as clueless as they thought.

"You're getting smarter than you look." Sara said as she walked slowly out of the shadows and towards her young Teammate.

"Did Oliver send you?"

"No." Sara said as she came to stand next to Roy. "I chose to come and make sure you weren't alone."

"Well what if I want to be alone?" Roy asked. He needed to think and figure out what he was going to do. He wasn't sure he could do that with the Team watching his every move.

"Then I'll leave you alone." Sara responded. "But only if you really mean it." Sara knew that sometimes all a person needed was space, however, with The Dealer out there she wasn't sure it was such a good idea. "Look, Roy, if you need space I get it. We all need space at times. I just want you to know that you're not alone, that we're here for you if you ever want to talk. We won't push for answers and we won't judge you." Sara turned to go back to her perch in the shadows, however, Roy spoke before she got too far.

"You can stay for now Sara." Roy said almost in a whisper. He didn't bother saying it too loud as he knew she would hear him anyway, her hearing was almost as good as Oliver's after all.

Sara smiled to herself before she went to sit near, but not too close to, Roy on the edge of the roof. They each sat in silence, Roy lost in his own thoughts, his memories, and Sara simply being there in case he wanted to talk.

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><p>As Roy sat on the edge of the roof he couldn't help remembering the incident from his past that he had just seen in his nightmare. He remembered it as clearly as it was yesterday. He had been about ten at the time. His dad had come home high from his newest drug, his mom was sitting on the couch, wasted, and Roy had been in his room, trying to get his homework done. He suddenly heard raised voices from the other room. His dad was yelling at his mom for not having dinner on the table when he had gotten home. Instead she was high again.<p>

"You useless, ungrateful _bitch_!" Roy had heard his dad yell, again. He quietly opened his bedroom door and snuck his way down the hall to see what was happening. "I provide a roof over your head, food for you to eat, everything you could ever want and what do _I_ get in return? A wife who doesn't care about anything other than herself! Do you not like the things that I provide for you?" Roy's dad had gotten closer to his mom. He was now directly in front of her, yelling in her face. The yelling from his dad caused his mom to suddenly become more aware of what was going on around her, although she was still high from whatever drug his dad had given her this time.

"Roy... of course I'm thankful." His mom stammered as she tried to back away from his dad.

"How can you say that?" Roy Sr. screamed as he leaned in closer again, putting his hands on either side of her head on the back of the couch, pinning her in place. "If you were grateful then you would be in the kitchen, making me food. I spend _all_ day, slaving away, to give you the things that you want and yet you never _once_ tell me you're thankful for what I do for you, for Roy. All you two ever do is disappoint me! Is it too much to ask to have a family that actually says _Thank You_ once in a while instead of running to their room, or sniffing drugs, every time I come home!"

"I'm.. I'm sorry Roy." Young Roy heard his mom say quietly as she sat shaking in front of his dad. "I'll go make you dinner now. What would you like?" She asked warily, it was clear what kind of mood her husband was in tonight. She started to wriggle her way out from under her husband, who still had her pinned down on the couch. Roy saw his dad grab her arm tightly, eliciting a wince from her, as he pulled her roughly from the couch. The momentum from being pulled off the couch, along with her lack of awareness caused by the drugs, caused her to stumble and when his dad released her arm she stumbled to the floor and hit her head on the coffee table on her way down. Roy watched as she lay, silent and un-moving, for a full minute before finally she came to and began to sit up. It was as she started to pull herself to a sitting position that his dad looked down at her.

"Get up woman." Roy Sr. said as he reached down to grab her and pull her to her feet again. Roy watched as she started to back away from him again. His dad reached out and grabbed her by her hair. "I said _get up_!" He yelled.

At that moment Roy decided that he couldn't watch this anymore. He quickly stepped out from his hiding place in the hall. "NO! Don't hurt her!" Roy yelled at his dad.

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><p>Roy clearly remembered that it was at this point that Oliver put a hand on his shoulder and called his name. It was the same thing his dad had done, grabbed his shoulder and yelled his name, right before punching him. This is why Roy had swung out. He still felt horribly for that.<p>

"I didn't mean to swing at him you know." Roy said quietly. "At Oliver."

"I know." Sara responded just as quietly, enjoying watching the sun as it rose over the still sleeping city in front of them.

"He told me he did the same thing. Right after he got home." Roy told her.

"We both have done it." Sara confirmed just as quietly. "Our nightmares are real to us. We had to live through those things and we can still clearly remember what we heard, saw, and even what we felt. We had to live so long on instinct, on the defense. When we are suddenly woken from a nightmare where we are reliving one of the things we had to go through, we lash out the same way we would have at whatever point in the past we are remembering. It's instinct for us. It's easier to control ourselves when we are awake as we are aware of what is going on around us, we can think through our response. We can't do that when we are asleep. You simply reacted on instinct and Oliver knows that Roy."

The two Teammates sat in silence as they watched the sun paint the sky brilliant shades of red and orange as the sun shone on the quiet city before them.

"You know he's not going to let you go alone right?" Sara asked him, knowing that Roy would understand she was referring to his inevitable meeting with his dad today.

"I know. I wish he would." Roy responded, clearly remembering the threat from his dad not even twenty four hours previously.

Before Sara had a chance to respond her phone rang and she stood and walked away for a moment.

"I need to go pick something up." Sara said as she walked back to where Roy was sitting. "Will you be okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Roy answered, not wanting her to worry. "I'll come in soon. I just need a few more minutes."

"Okay, be safe Roy." Sara said as she made her way down the fire escape and away on her bike.

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><p><strong>AN: Please be so kind as to let me know what you think with a review (spoiler free) and everyone enjoy the premier tonight! :D (I know I will be)<strong>


	8. Chapter 8: Peace

**AN: Thank you all so very much for your continual amazing support! I really appreciate each and every person who favorites, follows, and leaves a review. Thank You!**

**In light of me not knowing what to think after the Premier last night here is a bit of Olicity goodness for you all :) **

**REMINDER: THIS IS A SPOILER FREE ENVIRONMENT, SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE I HAVE READERS OUTSIDE THE US WHO HAVE NOT SEEN THE EPISODE YET. I APPRECIATE YOU ALL _NOT_ LEAVING ANY SPOILERS IN THE REVIEWS!**

**Disclaimer: The Arrow still belongs to the CW. **

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><p><em>"You know he's not going to let you go alone right?" Sara asked him, knowing that Roy would understand she was referring to his inevitable meeting with his dad today.<em>

_"I know. I wish he would." Roy responded, clearly remembering the threat from his dad not even twenty four hours previously._

_Before Sara had a chance to respond her phone rang and she stood and walked away for a moment._

_"I need to go pick something up." Sara said as she walked back to where Roy was sitting. "Will you be okay?"_

_"Yeah, I'm fine." Roy answered, not wanting her to worry. "I'll come in soon. I just need a few more minutes."_

_"Okay, be safe Roy." Sara said as she made her way down the fire escape and away on her bike._

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: Peace<strong>

Roy sat in silence for several minutes and watched the sleeping city wake. It was in the early hours of the day that Starling City was the most peaceful. The sky was just changing from the brilliant colors of sunrise to the different shades of blue that come with early morning. The city was at peace, and the Team should have been as well, but they weren't. Because of him and his drug and weapons dealing, abusive father his Team was on edge.

He couldn't believe that every time the Team thought they were safe, that they could enjoy some peace, something happened to rob them of that. This time it was Roy's dad threatening the life of Oliver and the Team. Oliver and Felicity didn't deserve this, they had just found their complete happiness with each other and were on their way to living happily ever after. Now all ofthat was threatened because of Roy. As he watched the city wake he thought of the night that Oliver had finally proposed.

_**One Month Ago...**_

_Oliver had had Felicity's engagement ring for a month now. He had also been trying to pop the question for the same amount of time, however, every time he tried to do so something happened and the date was cut short, or even cancelled. Oliver had spent the last seven days complaining about how he couldn't seem to make it happen. That was when Thea, Roy, Diggle, and Sara called a meeting. They came up with a plan that they ran by Oliver, although he didn't really have any say over the matter, and the preparations began._

_Thea, Sara, and Felicity were preparing for a special party of just the Queen and Lance families as well as Team Arrow. At least that's what Felicity had been told. A simple 'happy we're not being held hostage by a maniac' party really, although since the Queen's were hosting it was a very formal affair. While the girls were getting ready,__ the guys were decorating the lair__ and trying to keep Oliver from pacing a trench into the concrete floor. Roy had _never _seen Oliver as nervous as he was that night. Finally Diggle managed to talk the man into a shower and changing into his tux while they waited to hear from Sara._

_Finally the lair was ready, Oliver was dressed, and the women were close. Roy and Diggle left Oliver in the lair and went up to the club to greet the women when they arrived a few short minutes later._

_"Where's Oliver?" Felicity had asked when she realized the man in question was nowhere __in sight._

_"He's downstairs. He asked that you go down there and help him with something as soon as you arrived so that you could both be available when the rest of the guests arrive." Diggle said in his best bodyguard voice._

_"Please tell me it's not another mission." Felicity pleaded as she headed for the back door. She was too distracted trying to figure out what Oliver could possibly need tonight that couldn't wait one more night. As soon as she was out of sight the Team, including Thea, made their way, very quickly, to the office where they had the video feed from the lair up. If anyone asked the excuse was that Felicity would want a record of this happening so they were simply recording it for her. They would just have to watch closely to make sure they got the whole thing._

_Felicity started her descent of the stairs rather quickly, however, she slowed considerably when she heard __the sounds of soft, romantic, instrumental music filling the lair. She paused halfway down the stairs as the lair came into full view and the sight before her took her breath away. There were candles of all different shapes and sizes covering every inch of flat surface, the only light in the lair. At the bottom of the stairs there was a path of white rose petals that led to the center of the room, where the man of her dreams stood. She looked at Oliver. He was decked out in his best tuxedo with a dark green tie to complete the look. But what really took her breath away, what caused her heart to beat frantically and her breathing to become unsteady, was the look of pure love that was on his face. He smiled at her, a smile that reached his blue eyes and made them light up, a real smile._

_Oliver's nervousness intensified one thousand percent when he heard the door at the top of the stairs open. He could tell from the click of the heels on the stairs that Felicity was coming down. He watched, transfixed, as she slowly came into view. First he saw her black dress sandals, decked in rhinestones that sparkled in the candlelight. As she stepped down another stair he could see the bottom of her floor-length__ gown. When she stopped two steps later he had followed the slit in the dress up to where it stopped at her thigh. As his gaze traveled up further he noticed that the gown fit her like a glove, showing off every single curve. It was a very simple dress with small, off the shoulder, sleeves and it just happened to be the same deep green as his suit in the case just to his right. She wore a simple emerald necklace that he had given her shortly after they defeated Slade and her hair was down in waves around her shoulders. As his eyes met hers his breath caught in his throat and he could feel is heart racing as he saw the shock which morphed into a look of such love that he thought his heart was going to stop altogether._

_Finally he blinked, bringing him out of his trance and he took a step forward, reaching out a hand to her, encouraging her to come to him. She obliged and slowly descended the remaining steps, not once taking her eyes from Oliver's. Finally her hand slipped into his and he drew her into the middle of the lair._

_"Oliver?" Felicity asked, obviously curious as to what was going on. Roy laughed as Thea let out a squeal of delight at watching this all unfold before their eyes._

_"Felicity." Everyone in the office of Verdant could have sworn that of the many times they had heard Oliver say Felicity's name, it had _never _sounded like that. He had said her name with anticipation, nervousness, and pure love. The kid was definitely head over heels in love with the woman before him._

_"For the last month I have been trying to find a time where we can be alone without being interrupted by Arrow work. Our lives have been crazy the last few months and I finally decided that enough was enough. It was time I had a few moments alone with the woman who has stolen my heart."_

_"Oliver?" Felicity said his name hesitantly. She didn't know where he was going with this or what he was trying to tell her and it was making her nervous._

_"Do you remember the first time we met?" Oliver asked her as he took both her hands in his, drawing her closer to him._

_"Yes, in my office in the IT department at QC." Felicity answered with a smile. "You brought me a laptop riddled with bullet holes and claimed you spilled coffee on it."_

_"When I walked into your office that day my life changed. I met this bubbly blonde, in a pink shirt, hair in a ponytail, with glasses and a red __pen in her mouth. This blonde's rambling brought out the first real smile I had worn in _five years_. She listened to my bullshit about a computer that had coffee spilled on it, a treasure hunt, a friend who liked to shoot arrows, and an energy drink in a syringe." Oliver laughed at all the horrible cover stories that he had told her and yet she never called him out on._

_"This same blonde saved my life one night. She found me laying in the back of her itty bitty car in the Queen Consolidated parking garage after my own mother shot me in self-defense__. She brought me here, without question, when I asked her to and I'm alive today because she stayed until I woke up. That night that remarkable woman, you, became a permanent part of my life. You help me each and every night with my father's list. You've guided me through missions where I would have been injured, or even killed, if you weren't there to guide and help me. You help patch me up when I get hurt, and are there to yell at me when it was because of something stupid that I did." Oliver took a deep breath and smiled as he placed a gentle hand on her cheek, noting her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Felicity, you followed me to Lian Yu after the Undertaking to convince me to come home. You showed me that the darkness doesn't have to control me, that I could be something, _someone_, better. You remind me of all the good in the world and for some crazy reason you've stuck by me when two of my worst enemies tried to kill me and everyone I care about."_

_"Felicity, without you I am just a shell of a man. It's only because of _you _that I am the man that I am today. I know I don't deserve such a remarkable woman as you, and you deserve someone that is so much better than me. Someone who isn't broken and damaged. Yet you're still here, with me, despite everything." Oliver reached into his pocket as he lowered himself down onto one knee. He opened the box in his hand and looked up to meet Felicity's eyes. "And so, Felicity, I lay my heart at your feet and simply ask you one question... Will you be _my _girl_? _Always? Will you marry me?"_

_The entire Team in the office of Verdant held their breath. They had never heard Oliver open up like he just had with Felicity and they knew already what the blonde's reaction would be to the heartfelt words from Oliver. They weren't disappointed as less than a second later they heard Felicity's answer._

_"YES! Of course yes Oliver." Felicity squealed almost as soon as the man before her finished speaking. Oliver then placed the ring on her finger,__ before standing and pulling her into a tight hug, and then placing a gentle kiss on her lips._

_The rest of the Team had then left the office to join their Teammates in the lair with a couple of bottles of champagne and a LOT of congratulations._

**Present Day...**

Roy hated that he could be the reason that Oliver and Felicity might not get to have their fairy tale ending. As he remembered the looks of pure happiness on his Teammates faces he made his decision. He was going to deal with his dad and keep Oliver out of it, completely.

Roy stood and pulled his hood up. "Sorry guys, but this is something I have to do alone." He said as he looked back to the side entrance of the club that led down to the lair. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the task ahead, before he turned away and started to make his way across the Glades on the rooftops as Oliver had taught him.

He was going to meet with his dad, and put an end to this, and he was going to do it _without_ dragging his Team into the madness.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, you know what to do... If you liked it (hehehe) leave me a review! Thanks!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9: Face-Off

**AN: I am so excited that you all liked the last chapter! It was so extremely fun to write the proposal and I am beyond happy that you all enjoyed it! Thank you for your amazing support!**

**Mic RiddyBanon, I am sure that you are fully aware of how thankful I am for your beta services so I won't bore you with saying it again. :)**

**REMINDER: Even though most have probably seen the episode I still ask that you remember to keep things spoiler free. I don't want to ruin the episode for anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of seeing it yet.**

**Disclaimer: Oh what I would do if Arrow belonged to me... Alas, it does not. Deal with it! :D (hehehe)**

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><p><em>Roy hated that he could be the reason that Oliver and Felicity may not get to have their fairy tale ending. As he remembered the looks of pure happiness on his Teammates'<em>_ faces he made his decision. He was going to deal with his dad and keep Oliver out of it, completely._

_Roy stood and pulled his hood up. "Sorry guys, but this is something I have to do alone." He said as he looked back to the side entrance of the club that led down to the lair. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the task ahead, before he turned away and started to make his way across the Glades on the rooftops as Oliver had taught him._

_He was going to meet with his dad, and put an end to this, and he was going to do it without dragging his Team into the madness._

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><p><strong>Chapter 9: Face-off<strong>

Roy climbed down a fire escape on a building two blocks away from his house. He had a feeling that his dad was either already at the house, or was having it watched, and he wanted to be sure he didn't give them any more clues than possible about his life now and Team Arrow. As he walked down the street and his house came into view he realized that his instincts were right. There were _at least _five guys on the street outside his house that didn't belong there. He could also see that there was someone inside as he had been sure to turn the lights off when he left. He paused for a brief moment on the street and took a deep breath to prepare himself for what he was about to do. _I hope I got away quick enough that they didn't see me leave._ Roy was thinking as he walked up to his front door. He was dreading this, facing his father, but he also knew that he had to do this alone, he _had _to try and keep Oliver out of it, not just for him, but for Felicity as well.

"Where have you been son?" The Dealer asked as soon as Roy walked through the front door. "You haven't been home all night."

"Oh, now you're worried about what I do at night?" Roy asked walking straight to his kitchen for a bottle of water. He was trying to stay calm and not let his nervousness show. "Isn't it a little late for that?"

"Don't get smart with me boy." The Dealer growled from where he was sitting on Roy's bed. "Why were you at that Club, Verdant?"

"I work there." Roy said as he turned toward his dad. "I kinda have to go there to work and I have to work to get paid."

"So you worked there, all night?" His dad asked, clearly not believing him. "Don't clubs close at 2am?"

"Yeah, they do." Roy leaned against the counter, holding his water bottle so as to hide the fact that his hands were almost shaking with nervousness. "But then we have to clean up, do inventory, make sure the place is ready for opening the next night. That takes time."

"Fine. If that's what you want me to believe then so be it." The Dealer stood and walked towards Roy in the kitchen. "I assume you have an answer for me?"

"Yeah, I do." Roy rose to his full height, taking complete advantage of every inch and every ounce of muscle that he had gained since the last time he faced-off against his dad. "I won't do it. I am _not_ going to help you at all. I owe you nothing!"

The Dealer moved so quickly that Roy didn't have a chance to respond and a fist connected loudly with his jaw.

"You're going to regret that decision..._son_." The Dealer said as he grabbed Roy by the front of his hoodie and hurled him across the room, before then following.

Roy stood from where his dad had thrown him against the wall. _It's time I make use of those endless hours of training._ He thought to himself. As The Dealer came within reach Roy kicked out, catching the man off guard and landing a solid kick to his stomach. This started an all-out battle. The two men swung and kicked at each other, breaking almost every piece of furniture in Roy's small house in the process.

Finally, after several minutes of fighting The Dealer managed to pull a syringe from his pocket and jam it into Roy's chest the next time the kid came close enough. Roy froze for a moment in shock before the drug took over. The Dealer pushed Roy away from him where the kid landed in a heap on the bedside table that had managed to stay intact up until this point.

"Seems you're into fighting back again." The Dealer said as he straightened his jacket and wiped the blood from his split lip. "Such a shame it didn't help. I really didn't want to do this son but you leave me no choice. You're going to pay, and so will those you care about!" At that The Dealer and his men left Roy's small house where Roy lay unconscious.

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><p>Felicity had been watching Roy and Sara on the surveillance camera. It seemed that they were having a good talk and Felicity was glad that the whole Team was looking out for Roy. As she and Oliver sat in silence, after she shared the remainder of her results, her phone had rang. It was one of their vendors that they used, okay, not really a vendor, more like a super secret contact. Apparently their latest order was finished. She had called Sara to ask her to go pick up the item and to let her know that they would keep an eye on Roy via the video. She felt confident that he would be fine especially as he said he would be in shortly.<p>

Oliver and Felicity then turned to assemble the newest display cases. They had been eagerly anticipating the day that they could do this and Felicity thought that the timing couldn't be better. It only took a few short minutes to get everything ready and by time they were done Diggle was returning with the food.

"Where are Roy and Sara?" Diggle asked, having not seen his Teammates anywhere when he got back.

"Sara went to pick up our latest order and Roy is still on the roof..." Felicity said as she turned back to point at the video feed on her computer only to realize that the young man in question was no longer there. "On NO! No, no, no, no, no!"

"What's wrong Felicity?" Oliver asked, clearly concerned from her tone of voice.

"He's gone." Felicity cried. "Roy, he's not on the roof anymore." She began going through the feed from all the cameras in the area.

"Where did he go Felicity?" Diggle asked as he joined his Teammates at Felicity's desk.

"He went home!" Felicity answered worriedly as she locked eyes with Oliver. She had searched the video feed until she figured out when he left and then followed him on what cameras she could from there. "He went to face The Dealer alone!"

Oliver instantly burst into action.

"You going to hood up?" Diggle asked as he grabbed his gun and keys.

"It's the middle of the day Digg." Oliver called as he ran up the stairs, brown jacket and motorcycle helmet in hand and placing his comms unit in his ear. _**  
><strong>_

"Bring him home Oliver." Felicity whispered quietly, she was clearly worried about Roy.

"I will Felicity." Oliver answered over the comms, the sound of the motorcycle loud in her ear.

Oliver rode as quickly as he could to Roy's house. He was more worried for the kid than he was willing to admit, even to himself. He knew that The Dealer, Roy's dad, was dangerous on so many levels and he was worried about what the man was willing to do, to his own son. As he neared Roy's house he paid special attention to make sure that there were no guards or lookouts on the street. Thankfully everything looked normal, even at Roy's house. Oliver skidded to a stop in front of the house and ran to the front door and rushed in, not even bothering to knock.

"Roy!" Oliver called, quickly realizing that The Dealer and his men were nowhere in sight. As he quickly surveyed the room he noted that every piece of furniture in the house was broken, clear evidence of a fight. Suddenly he saw a form on his left, a heap of red hoodie on the floor on top of a broken nightstand. It was Roy.

"Roy. Roy talk to me!" Oliver quickly looked Roy over to assess his injuries, noting that the kid had several new bruises, including a nasty one on his jaw. He didn't appear to have any broken bones. Checking his pulse he noticed that Roy's heart was racing. Diggle arrived just as Oliver was checking Roy's eyes, noting that they had rolled back into his head.

"Oliver?" Diggle asked, he knew Oliver would understand his question.

"Looks like he's been injected with something." Oliver answered as he looked around him quickly. It took only a moment before he noticed the syringe on the floor next to him. He picked it up and examined it closely. "Diggle we're taking him back in the car. I'll come back for the bike later." Oliver said to the older man standing next to him. "Felicity!" He called into the comms as he lifted Roy into his arms and headed out to the car.

"Yes! How's Roy?" Felicity immediately responded. She hated not knowing what was going on.

"I found Roy but we have a problem." Oliver said surprisingly calmly. "He's been injected with Vertigo!"

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><p><strong>AN: Did you like the chapter? If you did please leave me a review and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!<strong>


	10. Chapter 10: Treatment

**AN: The amount of support is amazing! Thank you all for taking the time to favorite, follow, and or leave me a review! I appreciate all of it.**_  
><em>

**Still keeping things spoiler free!**

**Mic RiddyBanon, thank you for not only your assistance with the medical part of things, but also your amazing beta work. You are remarkable! (See what I did there?!)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Arrow then Mic and I would have already written an amazingly fantastic episode. Alas, it belongs to the CW so they get to have all the real fun with our favorite actors and characters!**

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><p><em>"Looks like he's been injected with something." Oliver answered as he looked around him quickly. It took only a moment before he noticed the syringe on the floor next to him. He picked it up and examined it closely. "Diggle we're taking him back in the car. I'll come back for the bike later." Oliver said to the man standing next to him. "Felicity!" He called into the comms as he lifted Roy into his arms and headed out to the car.<em>

_"Yes! How's Roy?" Felicity immediately responded. She hated not knowing what was going on._

_"I found Roy but we have a problem." Oliver said surprisingly calmly. "He's been injected with Vertigo!"_

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><p><strong>Chapter 10: Treatment<strong>

Diggle drove back to the lair as quickly as he could, while Oliver instructed Felicity how much water to mix in with the herbs to counteract the effects of the Vertigo. He also told her to put it in a syringe as Roy was out cold and wouldn't be able to drink the mixture. Oliver simply hoped that they weren't too late to avoid any permanent damage to Roy's body from the drug.

"Felicity, I need you to do one more thing for me." Oliver said to her as they closed in on the lair.

"Yeah?" Felicity asked worriedly.

"I need you to call Thea." Oliver calmly requested.

"Why Oliver? You don't think..." Felicity cried. _Surely he doesn't think Roy's going to die from this!_ She thought even as Oliver reassured her.

"No! Felicity, Roy is going to be fine." Oliver interrupted her, knowing where her thoughts were headed. "I just think he would like to have her around when he comes to." He explained. He knew that when he was injured simply having her there when he woke up helped calm him. He had a feeling that Thea could do the same for Roy. "Don't give her details, just let her know we need her at the lair. We will fill her in when she gets there."

Felicity turned back to the task at hand. She couldn't describe how worried she was for Roy, especially after she had heard, and seen, how Vertigo had affected both Diggle and Oliver. _And they are the strongest guys I know!_ She thought as she dialed Thea.

"Hi Felicity!" Thea answered her cell on the second ring.

"Thea, hey." Felicity replied, as calmly as she could manage.

"Oh hey, how's it going?"

"Oh, it's going." Felicity took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Hey, Oliver needs your help with something. Can you come down to the lair?"

"Yeah, sure. Hey, since Sin's here can she come too?" Thea asked, clearly pleased that they had asked her for help.

"Not just yet Thea. Maybe later though." Felicity answered noncommittally.

"Okay, I'll head right over." Thea sounded slightly disappointed but Felicity knew she would understand.

"Thea! One more thing." Felicity remembered just before they hung up. "Make sure you bring one of the security team with you. They need to escort you to Verdant but can go back once you've made it here safely."

"Felicity, is that really necessary?" Thea almost whined into the phone.

"Absolutely! You do _not_ leave the mansion without one of them!" Felicity ordered, smiling a bit at the sigh of irritation from the young woman on the other end of the line.

"Fine! But you tell Oliver I'm not happy about it!" Thea grumbled before hanging up.

Felicity was happy that she had talked the younger woman into following Oliver's orders, even if he hadn't spoken the words himself, and knew that once Thea was aware of what was going on with The Dealer she would be more understanding. She heard the lair door open just seconds after she hung up with Thea and Felicity spun around towards the stairs.

"Oliver?"

"It's me Felicity." Sara called as she jogged down the stairs, two large cases in her hands. "Where is everyone?"

"Roy went to meet his dad." Felicity answered.

"Oh, okay. Did Oliver and John go with him?" Sara asked as she set the cases down next to the new display cases in the lair.

"Not exactly." Felicity said hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" Sara asked, suddenly worried about her Teammates. However, before Felicity could answer the door to the lair swung open again.

"Felicity?" Diggle called down.

"I'm here. Everything's ready." Felicity answered as she turned to grab the herbal mixture that she had prepared. Moments later they saw Oliver descending the stairs with an unconscious Roy in his arms.

"What happened?" Sara asked as she helped Oliver lower Roy to the medical table.

"The Dealer injected him with a lethal dose of Vertigo." Oliver explained as he injected Roy with the herbal mixture while Diggle hooked up the heart monitor.

"What?" Sara was outraged.

"He left without telling us. By time we got there his house had been trashed and Roy was knocked out. We think he had a fight with his dad who injected him with the Vertigo." Diggle explained as he finished hooking Roy up to the machine before then moving a bucket right next to the table.

"Why would he do that? What kind of man would do that to his own son?" Sara couldn't believe that anyone would want to hurt their own child like that.

"Sara." Oliver said quietly from where he stood next to Roy. He looked up to her and met her eyes. It only took a moment for understanding to show on her face.

"No." Sara whispered. She had realized what Oliver wasn't telling her and that thought angered her more than anything.

"Oliver?" Diggle asked, he knew immediately that he was missing something.

"Digg, think about it. Roy's own father fighting with him and breaking everything in his own home. Roy saying he couldn't face this alone. The way he was having trouble breathing on the phone when he first called the lair." Sara explained to her Teammate.

"You guys don't think this is the first time something like this has happened." Diggle understood what they were implying. "You think his dad was abusive."

"That _would_ explain a lot." Sara commented.

"He hasn't told us yet for a reason." Oliver stated quietly as he took Felicity's hand in his.

"He'll tell us when he's ready." Felicity commented as she looked up at Oliver. "Until then we just need to be there for him."

The Team stood in silence for a brief moment before Felicity shook herself out of her thoughts and moved to grab a cloth and some warm water. She worked to clean the blood off of Roy's split lip, bruised knuckles, and the various cuts from the fight. Oliver moved to help her take off Roy's hoodie to make it easier to clean him up and helped Felicity with her task.

As Oliver and Felicity worked to tend to Roy's wounds Sara turned to the cases that she had brought in.

"Might as well unpack these." Sara said as she lifted the first case onto a table and opened it.

"These turned out great." Diggle commented as he lifted out the contents of the case and began placing them in one of the display cases.

Sara opened the second case that she had brought in and began to place the items in it into the second of the new display cases. The Team worked in silence at their respective tasks until Felicity's phone buzzed. It was a text from Thea letting them know she was there. Felicity looked to Oliver who gave her a brief nod letting her know to go ahead and let Thea in.

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><p>Thea was finally able to get rid of the security guy that had had to follow her to Verdant. She hadn't been happy about the tail, however, she also remembered Diggle's words about there being a potential threat in town and knew they just wanted to make sure she was safe. She hated the excuse, as she had heard it too many times, however, she appreciated the fact that Oliver and his Team were looking out for her. Once the door to Oliver's lair buzzed she bounced down the steps, ready to take on whatever task Oliver had for her.<p>

Thea stopped suddenly as she reached the bottom of the stairs and she saw Roy, laying on the medical table in front of her, out cold. She couldn't help the cry that escaped as she ran over to his side.

"Roy!" Thea cried as she took in the sight of her boyfriend laying unconscious.

"He's going to be fine Thea." Felicity said as she pulled the younger woman into her arms.

"What happened?" Thea asked as she looked to her brother.

"There's a new guy in town that we've been tracking." Oliver explained as he walked over to his sister and pulled her into a tight hug. "He's an arms dealer who has also dealt with Vertigo. He caught up to Roy today. There was a fight and the guy injected Roy with a large dose of Vertigo. We've already given him something to counteract the dose but it will take a little while before he wakes up. We thought you would want to be here for him when he does."

As Oliver had explained things, albeit vaguely, Felicity had pulled over one of the computer chairs for the younger woman to sit in. Thea sank into it, dazed, as she looked at her boyfriend. Sure, she had seen him injured before, and she had also seen him unconscious, but the combination of the injuries she could see with the fact that he was out cold worried her, not to mention the fact that he had been injected with Vertigo.

"Don't worry Thea." Felicity said softly as she handed Thea a bottle of water. "He looks worse than he is. It's really only a few scrapes and bruises. Once the Vertigo is out of his system he'll be almost as good as new." _Physically at least_. She added in her thoughts, knowing that the emotional effects of the day would take Roy a bit longer to get past. Felicity moved back to her computers to do some more research on The Dealer as Oliver, Sara, and Diggle finished putting the new inventory away before then covering the new cases. They all worked in relative quietness, the only sound being of the heart monitor hooked to Roy.

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><p>"Sara." Felicity called to her friend. It had been about thirty minutes since Thea had shown up at the lair and she had just seen something on the security cameras.<p>

"What is it Felicity?" Sara asked as she walked over to stand next to the other blonde.

"Look." Felicity answered as she brought up the feed from the club above them.

"Sin." Sara whispered as she turned to catch Oliver's eye. "I should go talk to her." Oliver gave her a small nod in agreement to her unspoken question. Sara nodded back before running up the stairs.

"Hey Sin!" Sara said cheerfully as she walked up to the young woman. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the Queen Mansion."

"Yeah, well, it was boring. Besides Thea came here so I thought I'd come hang out with her." Sin explained, already knowing she was in trouble.

"Did you bring one of the security team like I told you to do anytime you left the mansion?" Sara asked, already knowing the answer.

"No." Sin sad as she tilted her head to the side and put her hands in her pockets. "I can take care of myself Bird."

"Yeah I know."

"Hey, have you seen Roy lately?" Sin asked the blonde.

"Actually yes." Sara answered, not giving any information away. "Why?"

"Well, I know he works with you and the Arrow, which I know is Oliver Queen by the way. I also know that there's a new bad guy in town. Rumor is he's really dangerous. I just wanted to make sure Ambercrombie is okay and hasn't gotten himself into trouble again." Sin explained, the worry evident in her voice.

"Come with me." Sara wrapped her arms around Sins shoulders and directed her to the back door in the club that led down into the lair. "Sin, this place is more secret than even the clock tower. It _has_ to stay that way, you understand?" Sara asked as the reached the door.

"Yeah." Sin was nervous now. Their clock tower had been private, a secret that she had only shared with Roy, so she knew that whatever she was about to see was _big_.

Sara punched in the security code before leading Sin down the stairs to the Arrow Cave, as Felicity so affectionately called it. She could see the wonder in the young woman's eyes as she took in the display cases with Oliver's suit, then the one holding Oliver's bow and arrows, the table with Roy's bow and hoodie, Felicity's computers, Diggle's array of firearms, the training area, and then finally the medical area where Thea sat next to Roy.

"Thea." Sin called to her friend as she rushed over, meeting Thea in a huge hug. "What happened?"

"Roy was helping track down a bad guy when he was injected with Vertigo." Thea quickly explained as the two women walked over to stand beside Roy, she took his hand in hers again as she looked down at his face, worried.

Before either woman could say anything more the sound from the heart monitor changed slightly and Oliver and Diggle immediately appeared at Roy's side. Sara and Felicity gently drew the two younger women back a couple of steps so that they wouldn't be in the way.

As Oliver reached Roy's side, the younger man's back arched off the table and he opened his eyes wide, breathing hard. Just as soon as Roy had opened his eyes, Oliver could see that he was about to vomit and quickly helped him to twist and lean over the side of the table, guiding him towards the bucket that Diggle had provided.

Roy heaved until there was nothing left and even then he continued to heave some more. Once he was finished emptying his stomach of all of its contents, he gratefully took the bottle of water from Oliver and took a small drink, noticing that his hands were shaking. He stayed leaning over the side of the table as he tried to catch his breath. His ribs really hurt though and that made taking a deep breath impossible.

"Slow breaths. Focus on completely emptying your lungs in a long, slow breath out. Your body will then naturally inhale and it won't hurt as much." Oliver directed with a gentle hand on his Teammate's shoulder, seeing how Roy was fighting to get his breathing under control. He knew that Roy had at least bruised ribs and knew from experience how hard it was to breathe with injured ribs.

Roy focused on Oliver's words, drowning out all other sounds and simply tried to breathe. He realized that as Oliver was explaining how to breathe, that he was also demonstrating it as well. He looked up and met Oliver's eyes and mimicked his mentor. He formed his mouth into an O, slowly exhaling until his body took over and he was inhaling again as a natural reflex. It took several tries to get it right, but he found that the technique really did work.

"Anytime you're hurt just focus on your breathing." Oliver was telling Roy as he finally got his breath back. "It will help you disconnect from the pain and calm you." Oliver had been talking quietly so that only Roy, Diggle who was standing next to them, and Sara with her hearing, would be able to hear what he said. Finally after a minute he helped Roy into a fully seated position.

Once Roy finally got his breath back, Oliver helped him sit up properly with his legs hanging off the edge of the table. Only then did he take a moment to look around the lair. Instantly he saw Thea there, tears rolling down her face, and being held back by Felicity who was whispering comforting words to her. Once Felicity saw that he was truly awake, able to breathe, and ready for the whirlwind that was Thea Queen, she released her hold on the young woman and nudged her forward.

"Roy!" Thea sobbed as she ran to Roy and wrapped her arms around him. "You had me so worried!"

"Thea." Oliver said gently. He had seen Roy's flinch as his sister ran into him and knew that it wasn't helping his sore ribs any. "Careful."

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! Did I hurt you? Are you okay?" Thea said in a rush as she quickly let go of him, suddenly aware that her boyfriend was hurt and she probably wasn't helping any.

"I'm fine Thea, just a little sore." Roy responded with a bit of a laugh. At Thea's questioning look he went on to explain, doing his best to ignore how every inch of his body hurt at the moment. "I think Felicity's rubbing off on you."

"What do you mean?" Thea asked, still confused.

"You're starting to ramble just like her."

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><p><strong>AN: Yay, Roy's awake. So... What do you think of this chapter? Please let me know in a review! Thanks.<strong>


	11. Chapter 11: Explanations

**AN: I don't know how many different ways I can say thank you all for the support! Thank You!**

**Mic RiddyBanon, yet again you have made sense of the craziness that is my chapters before beta. Thank you for your continual help and support!**

**Disclaimer: Yup, still not mine!**

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><p><em>"Roy!" Thea sobbed as she ran to Roy and wrapped her arms around him. "You had me so worried!"<em>

_"Thea." Oliver said gently. He had seen Roy's flinch as his sister ran into him and knew that it wasn't helping his sore ribs any. "Careful."_

_"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! Did I hurt you? Are you okay?" Thea said in a rush, suddenly aware that her boyfriend was hurt and she probably wasn't helping any._

_"I'm fine Thea, just a little sore." Roy responded with a bit of a laugh. At Thea's questioning look he went on to explain, doing his best to ignore how every inch of his body hurt at the moment. "I think Felicity's rubbing off on you."_

_"What do you mean?" Thea asked, still confused._

_"You're starting to ramble just like her."_

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><p><strong>Chapter 11 - Explanations<strong>

At the comment from Roy, comparing Thea and Felicity, everyone in the lair started to laugh. _Leave it to Roy to lighten the mood even when hurt._ Diggle thought to himself as his younger Teammate started to try to stand up from the table.

"Roy, are you sure you should be standing up?" Thea asked as she held his arm, trying to help steady him.

"I'm fine Thea." Roy replied in answer to her question.

"I swear... If you guys don't _stop_ using that word I'm going to..." Thea started to yell.

"You're going to what?" Roy asked interrupting her, a smile on his face at the thought of what she could be thinking.

"I'm going to put an arrow through your knee!" Thea declared as she pulled herself to her full height.

Oliver couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at that declaration. _If she's so insistent on it, maybe I should work with her on __her archery._ Oliver thought to himself, amused at the prospect of making yet another person slap a bowl of water.

"How are you going to do that? You don't even know how to shoot an arrow!" Roy challenged as he pulled himself to his full height in response.

"Oh really?" Thea answered back with a look that said 'I know something you don't know'. "Care to bet on that?" She asked her boyfriend, much to the amusement of everyone else in the lair.

"Roy, are you sure that challenging Thea is smart?" Sin asked as she stepped towards her friends. "I mean it's not like you're in any condition to fight back right now."

Roy glared at Sin. She was supposed to be _his_ friend, on _his_ side. Instead she was defending Thea and laughing at him. He turned to Oliver as the older man put a hand on his shoulder.

"Roy." Oliver said in a not so quiet whisper, a huge grin on his face. "You do know that Thea took archery in school right?"

"What?!" Roy asked incredulously.

"Yep, got pretty good at it too." Thea bragged, enjoying the look of confusion and disbelief on Roy's face.

"Okay guys, as much fun as it is to watch you two argue, Thea we need to get going." Felicity said as she stepped up to the couple as well. "Don't we have an appointment with Raisa about the menu for the reception?"

It took a full minute before Thea finally tore her eyes away from Roy, finally backing down from the challenge that she apparently wanted to make good on.

"Yeah, we should go." Thea reluctantly agreed. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked Roy as she placed her hand on his arm gently, suddenly worried again.

"I'll be..." Roy started to say 'fine' but changed his mind at the glare from Thea. "...alright."

"Digg and I will keep an eye on him Thea." Oliver told his sister. "Sara, will you go with Thea, Felicity, and Sin back to the mansion please?" Oliver had posed it as a question but Sara would know that the reason he had asked was so that they would have someone for security purposes.

"Sure, I'm getting hungry anyway." Sara answered with a small smile to the women. She had a feeling that Oliver wanted to talk to Roy and knew that the fewer people present the better it would be for the kid. It took some tugging and a lot of convincing but Thea finally, reluctantly, left after giving Roy another quick hug and kiss and telling him to listen to her brother and rest.

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><p>Roy could not have explained how nervous he was if he had had to. He watched the women leave the lair and knew that his lifeline had just walked out the door. He was sure Oliver and Diggle were going to kill him, and he deserved it. Especially after he went without the Team, knowing that they wouldn't want him to go alone. It was just that after he had thought about it for a while he had realized that this wasn't their fight. It was <em>his<em>. It wasn't fair to let the Team get dragged into the mess that was his past. He stood, head down and hands in his pockets, as he waited for the tongue lashing that he knew was coming. He didn't have to wait long.

"What the hell were you thinking Roy?" Oliver said in a raised voice once he was sure the women were gone. He wasn't exactly yelling, but he was pissed enough that it was close. "Why did you go face him alone? You _know_ that no one goes to _any_ kind of meet alone. _Especially_ with an armed and dangerous weapons and drug dealer. Roy he could have _killed_ you!"

"Oliver." Diggle said as he tried to calm his Teammate. He knew why Oliver was so mad, but he also knew that yelling at Roy right now, considering his past, was the last thing that the kid needed.

Oliver took a deep breath and walked a few steps away as he tried to reign in his anger. He knew Digg was right, yelling wasn't going to help the situation. It's not like Roy didn't realize that going alone was stupid. He had the bruises to prove that it was.

"Why'd you do it?" Oliver asked, voice no longer raised, as he turned back to the young man. "Why did you go alone when you _know_ we would have gone with you?"

Roy stood silently for a few breaths. He deserved Oliver's anger. He had disobeyed longstanding Team rules, they never went to meets like that without backup. The bruises on his body were proof of the precise reason why too. He knew that Oliver's anger was justified. He swallowed hard, shifting his gaze from his shoes to a spot on the far wall of the lair, still not making eye contact with either man in front of him.

"I didn't want you involved." Roy whispered in explanation.

"Why?" Diggle asked quietly. "Why didn't you want us involved all of a sudden when just yesterday you were asking for us to back you up?" He knew that they needed to understand what had changed Roy's mind if they were going to figure out how to help the young man.

"Felicity." Roy whispered again as he shifted his weight.

"What?" Oliver asked, confused, as he took a step closer to Roy.

"Felicity." Roy finally looked up and met Oliver's confused gaze as he tried to get his emotions under control. "She's like a sister to me. You and she, you've spent the last six months happier than I've ever seen you, in spite of Merlyn and Slade. You've grown closer, you admitted to each other that you love each other, you even proposed last month. You're getting married Oliver and I've never seen her happier the whole time I've known you guys."

Roy took another deep breath, well, as deep as his bruised ribs would allow. "I couldn't be the reason that something happened to either of you, not now. I went alone because I _know_ what my dad does, he beats people until he gets his way and sometimes he does it just because. Now he's in town hunting you so he can kill you. If you had gone with me I would have been handing you over to him. How do you think Felicity would have felt if _you _had been injected with the Vertigo again? Or captured? Or Killed? She would have never forgiven me." Roy looked down to his shoes again. "I can't let him hurt you guys. You're my Team and the only real family I have ever known. I can't, _won't_, let him destroy this family, not if I can help it!"

Oliver was speechless. He had _not_ been expecting that answer from Roy and from the look in Diggle's eye his partner hadn't either. It seemed that Roy was more like him that he had previously thought.

"Look, I know you're mad and if you want to beat the crap out of me for disobeying orders then go ahead." Roy said as he stared at a spot on the wall again. "It's not like I'm not used to it." He whispered quietly to himself.

"Roy." Oliver said softly as he placed a hand cautiously on the young man's shoulder, waiting for Roy to look at him before continuing.

"I am _not_ your father, and _no one_ on this Team will _ever_ hit you out of anger!"

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><p><strong>AN: Yet again, please leave me a review to tell me how you liked this chapter! Thanks!<strong>


	12. Chapter 12: Admissions

**AN: I can't tell you enough how thankful I am for all the support you guys are showing me! Thank you so much!**

**Again, my wonderful beta Mic RiddyBanon has worked her magic on this chapter! Thank you my friend!**

**Again, please keep it all spoiler free.**

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Arrow :(**

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><p><em>"Look, I know you're mad and if you want to beat the crap out of me for disobeying orders then go ahead." Roy said as he stared at a spot on the wall again. "It's not like I'm not used to it." He whispered quietly to himself.<em>

_"Roy." Oliver said softly as he placed a hand cautiously on the young man's shoulder, waiting for Roy to look at him before continuing._

_"I am not your father, and no one on this Team will ever hit you out of anger!"_

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><p><strong>Chapter 12 - Admissions<strong>

Roy looked up and met Oliver's eyes. He had been expecting to see anger in the older man's eyes, however that was not what he saw. He knew Oliver was mad at him and yet in Oliver's eyes he could see understanding, concern, and, what surprised him most, pride. Now he was confused.

"Roy, I won't say I'm happy about your decision, but I understand why you did it. Thank you for being concerned for the rest of us." Oliver told Roy, being sure to put the right amount of emotion in his voice. "Now, on to other matters. Care to fill us in on what happened?" Oliver moved to sit on one of the stools in the lair and Diggle moved to lean against the computer table, both men relaxing a bit more to hopefully encourage Roy to fill them in.

"Um..." Roy wasn't sure where to start, or where the sudden change of subject came from. He was also still confused as to the look in Oliver's eyes. He decided he would simply explain what happened for now and maybe Oliver would explain himself later. "I took the rooftops to about a block or so away from my house. I dropped down to street level using a fire escape and walked the rest of the way. There were at least five men on the street. They blended in, but I knew that they didn't belong in the neighborhood." Roy lifted himself to where he was sitting on the edge of the table he had previously been laying on. "When I reached the house my dad, the Dealer, was the only one inside." He paused for a moment to take a couple full breaths, trying to keep his thoughts clear.

"When I went inside he was sitting on my bed waiting for me. He simply asked me where I had been. He knew I had been here." Roy told his Teammates as he continued his explanation.

"You were nervous." Diggle stated, he could tell from the way Roy was telling them the story that he was right.

"No, not nervous exactly. More like scared to death." Roy finally admitted. "You see, growing up he had the worst temper. Think me on Mirakuru type temper. He would come home and get mad for no reason. He, um..." Roy looked away as he took another breath, swallowing hard at the admission he was about to verbalize. "When he got mad he would lash out, mostly towards my mom, at least while I was younger. He would hit her, push her around. There was always a lot of yelling. When it started they kept me out of it, but that didn't last long. I was three the first time I remember him hitting me. I had walked into the kitchen while they were arguing, asked what was wrong. He just turned around and slapped me so hard across the face that it knocked me off my feet. After that I was always included in the family arguments."

Oliver and Diggle wore matching expressions, masks, that wouldn't show the rage that each man felt at Roy's admission. They had both experienced an array of injuries, but none from family like Roy had. Their hearts broke for how Roy had been treated, but they also knew that Roy wouldn't want their sympathy.

"My dad became more abusive the older I got. He never ceased to tell me how much of a disappointment I was to him followed by a lashing from a belt, his fists, he'd even kick me once I was down on the floor. I could never fight back, he was always so much stronger than me." Roy paused for another moment. He was now avoiding Oliver and Diggle as he was afraid that he would see sympathy or worse, pity, in their eyes. That was _not_ something he wanted from them. He was stronger now and he realized he would have to find a way to prove that to them now. Especially as he was finally telling them the truth about his past.

"I was eight the first time I tried to fight back. He was hitting my mom again and she had just come home from the hospital with a broken arm and broken ribs, again. Dad was mad because the pain meds they had her on made her less aware of what was going on around her and that always infuriated him. I stepped in and that was the first time my arm got broken. I would try and protect her but it never worked, he would always win." Roy finally looked up to his Teammates.

"That's why I was scared. He had always beaten me before and I knew that if he did again you all would be in even more danger." Roy explained. "When I walked in the house it was all I could do to keep him from seeing my hands shaking. He asked me if I was going to help him track the Arrow down and wasn't too happy when I told him no. He punched me in the jaw before I even noticed he had moved. Then he threw me across the room into the wall. That's when I decided he wasn't going to win without a fight. I did my best to remember everything you guys have taught me but it wasn't enough. He still beat me."

"Roy, the only reason you lost that fight was because he cheated." Oliver told the younger man, trying to encourage him. "If he hadn't injected you with Vertigo I'm sure you could have beat him."

"No." Roy argued with a shake of his head. "Do you remember when you told me that I have to _believe_ that I can win the fight, if I don't then they will beat me? Well, you were right. I didn't really believe that I could beat him. Each time he hit me I remembered all the times he would hit me, or mom, as a kid. He had me beat before he even threw the first punch."

"So we work on that." Diggle said as he stood and took a couple steps towards Roy. "I don't care who he is, or what kind of training he has had, you can _always _beat him. You just have to rely on your training, and _truly believe_ in yourself."

"You fought back? Used your training against the man who abused you and your mother when you were a child?" Oliver asked for clarification as he stepped closer to his Teammates.

"Yeah, I tried at least. It didn't work though." Roy said as he looked down to a spot on the floor. "You must be so disappointed in me."

"No." Oliver said, still not sure why his young protégé didn't get it. He waited until Roy looked up to him, worry clear on his face. "Proud!"

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><p>Oliver and Diggle sat in the lair, waiting for Roy to finish changing. They were happy that Roy had finally told them about his past, admitted to his fears. They were also incredibly proud of how Roy had stood up to his dad and fought back, it didn't matter that he had been beaten this time. What mattered was that Roy was learning, growing, and becoming a better man because of it.<p>

Diggle had been wondering for a while about Oliver's reaction to something that had been said earlier and decided that now was the time to broach the subject with his Teammate as Roy was out of earshot for the moment.

"Oliver." Diggle turned to the younger man who looked up at him questioningly. "Earlier, when Felicity was telling us about the Dealer and his dealings she mentioned a man named Fyers. I also noticed your reaction to the name. Is there something I should know?"

Oliver looked at Diggle for a full minute, trying to decide whether or not this was something that he wanted his Team to know. Finally he decided that honesty was the best course of action.

"Fyers was the man who had me first tortured on the Island - and the Dealer was there."

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><p><strong>AN: Pretty please tell me what you think by leaving me a review! Thank you one and all!<strong>


	13. Chapter 13: Discussions

**AN: Again, thank you all for your support! It is much appreciated. Please do remember to keep things spoiler free :)**

**Mic RiddyBanon is yet again the wonderful beta for this story! Thank you my friend!**

**Disclaimer: The Arrow belongs to the CW... Go watch it tomorrow night on the CW :)**

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><p><em>"Oliver." Diggle turned to the younger man who looked up at him questioningly. "Earlier, when Felicity was telling us about the Dealer and his dealings she mentioned a man named Fyers. I also noticed your reaction to the name. Is there something I should know?"<em>

_Oliver looked at Diggle for a full minute, trying to decide whether or not this was something that he wanted his Team to know. Finally he decided that honesty was the best course of action._

_"Fyers was the man who had me first tortured on the Island - and the Dealer was there."_

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><p><strong>Chapter 13: Discussion<strong>

Oliver, Diggle, and Roy walked through the front door of the mansion and they could immediately smell the wonderful aromas of Raisa's food coming from the kitchen.

"I think I know exactly where everyone is." Oliver said with a smile as he headed towards the wonderful smell. He couldn't help the smile on his face as he thought about his beautiful fiancé picking out food for their wedding reception. _I still can't believe I'm getting married!_ Oliver thought as he walked into the room and saw Felicity. The sight before him stopped him dead in his tracks, causing Roy to almost walk into him from the sudden stop. Felicity had just taken a bite of something and had her head tilted back, eyes closed, with a look on her face that was pure happiness.

"Raisa, this is heavenly." Felicity said, finally opening her eyes and giving the cook a massive smile. "Oh! Oliver! You have _got_ to try this!" She said as she stood from the stool she was sitting on and brought the food to Oliver. She had realized that he walked in while she was savoring the taste of the lamb and knew that he simply _had_ to try it.

That one small taste was all it took for Oliver to be pulled into the decision of which foods to have at the reception. The only things he immediately vetoed were pheasant and anything fish as he had had enough of them during his time away. _**  
><strong>_

"Roy, how are you feeling?" Thea asked as she walked up to her boyfriend, noticing that he still looked extremely tired.

"I'm okay Thea." Roy said as he pulled her into a hug. "I'm just really tired."

"It's probably the Vertigo." Thea commented. "You should go lie down and sleep off the rest of the effects from it."

Roy nodded his head in agreement. He knew that the Vertigo was the reason he still wasn't feeling a hundred percent and that getting some more rest would help. If he was honest, though, he was afraid to fall asleep again as he didn't want to have another nightmare.

"Ollie, Roy and I are going to go upstairs." Thea told her brother as she went to grab a couple of bottles of water for herself and Roy. "He's going to get some more rest."

"Great idea Thea." Oliver said as he pulled his sister into a side hug. He knew that Roy still wouldn't feel quite right and that rest was the best medicine for him. "Why don't you stay up there with him for a while. He really needs you right now." Oliver whispered quietly in her ear. She looked to him and he could tell that she had heard him, and would make sure she was there for Roy as long as he needed her. He gave a small smile as he watched the couple leave the kitchen before turning back to the buffet of food before him.

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><p>Thea and Roy walked quietly, hand in hand, up to her room. Roy was exhausted. He had only had about three hours of real sleep in the last forty eight hours, he didn't count the time he was out in the lair as that was drug induced. When they reached Thea's room she went to turn down the bed while he pulled his shirt off and took off his socks and shoes, leaving him in his loose fitting workout pants, before crawling into the large, comfortable bed.<p>

Thea sat on the bed next to Roy and watched as he closed his eyes, breathing carefully so as not to aggravate his bruised ribs. She could see the ugly black and blue bruises on his chest from the most recent fight he was in and she knew that it had to be extremely uncomfortable for him.

"Roy, what was Oliver telling you when you first woke up in the lair?" Thea asked for a moment, unable to contain her curiosity any longer.

"Breathe." Roy answered as he pried his eyes open to look at the beautiful woman next to him.

"What?" Thea was now not only curious, but confused as well. "Why would he be telling you to breathe?"

"He wasn't telling me to breathe, he was teaching me _how_ to breathe." Roy answered with a small smile. "He knew that I had some bruised ribs and that it was hurting to take a full breath, especially after throwing up. He was teaching me a technique that would help me regulate my breathing as well as help me get full breaths without aggravating my ribs."

"It helped?" Thea asked, she already knew the answer but was simply enjoying talking to her boyfriend, especially as he had just come very close to not waking up thanks to the Vertigo.

"Yeah, it did." Roy said thoughtfully as stared at Thea's hand in his. "It helped take my mind off the pain, gave me something to focus on."

"I'm glad you're okay." Thea whispered after a couple more minutes. "It really scared me when I saw you lying on that table unconscious. I thought for a minute that I had lost you." She couldn't help the tears that spilled over at that admission.

At Thea's emotional words Roy pulled himself more to a sitting position and cupped her face gently in his hand.

"Thea, I can't promise that you will never lose me. What I do, what the Team does, it's dangerous. But, I _can_ promise you this." Roy turned her face to where he could look Thea in the eyes. "I _can_ promise that I will do _anything_ to come home, for you! No matter what happens, or who we face, I will _always _fight to come back to you because you are a remarkable woman Thea, and because I love you!"

"I love you too Roy Harper." Thea said just before leaning in to kiss him. The kiss quickly heated up and would have turned into more if Thea hadn't felt Roy wince when she wrapped her arms around him, putting pressure on his bruised ribs. She reluctantly pulled back. "You need to get some rest." She said quietly, almost laughing at the look of disappointment in Roy's eyes.

"What if I don't _want_ to rest?" Roy said mischievously. "What if I want to do something else."

"Then you're ribs will hurt even more and Oliver might _actually_ kill you this time." Thea said jokingly knowing how Oliver hadn't been too thrilled when he had found out they were sleeping together. She couldn't help but notice how Roy suddenly turned serious again. "Roy, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Roy answered. He knew that the Team would never hurt him intentionally, at least that's what Oliver had just told him, quite emphatically. However, he still couldn't help the barrage of childhood memories at her comment. "I'm just tired Thea, I'm going to try to get some sleep."

Roy laid back down and rolled over, ignoring the slight pain in his ribs from his weight on them, and went to put his arms round the pillow under his head like he normally did before he realized it was too painful. It took a moment before he was actually able to find a comfortable position. He knew that Thea was aware that there was more going on. He also knew that he would have to tell her eventually. He just didn't know how.

Thea knew that she had said something to upset Roy, she just wasn't sure what it was. Instead of pressing him though she simply started to rub his back. Her mother had done that for her several times as a child when she couldn't sleep, or wasn't feeling well, and it had always helped. She hoped it would be the same for Roy.

After several minutes Thea noticed some faint scars on Roy's lower back, just above the waist of his pants, and she found herself tracing them gently with her fingers. She could tell that Roy wasn't asleep yet as she felt him flinch slightly when she first started to trace the scars. This was why she finally decided to ask him about them.

"I don't remember seeing these before. How did you get them?" Thea asked cautiously. She had seen Roy topless, lots of times, but never remembered seeing these scars. _Not that I was really paying attention to what his back looked like._ She thought to herself as she waited to see if Roy would answer her.

Roy knew that he would have to explain his past to Thea eventually, had planned to do so, he just hadn't figured out _how_ yet. _Looks like she answered that question for me._ He thought as he took a couple of deeper breaths. He decided not to turn to look at Thea as he didn't think he would be able to stand seeing her face when she found out about his past.

"A belt." Roy finally said quietly, almost too quietly for Thea to hear.

"A belt? When? Who?" Thea asked, confused andeven more curious now.

"When I was a kid... My dad." Roy admitted, feeling defeated already.

"What!" Thea practically yelled. "Why would your dad do that to you? He hit you with a belt?!"

"Thea..." Roy said calmly as he shifted slightly. He attempted to swallow some of his emotions before he continued to explain. "There's some things I never told you about my past. As you know I didn't grow up in a nice house, with nice parents. I didn't have the chance to have all the things that you did growing up. My family was poor. But what I never said was that my mom and dad both did drugs. My dad was even a drug dealer."

"I knew about your mom, but that doesn't explain why _anyone_ would hit their child with a belt. Especially not hard enough to leave these scars!" Thea said, upset and angry on her boyfriend's behalf for what had happened to him. She still didn't fully understand, didn't want to believe what Roy was telling her, but at the same time the evidence was right there in his voice - and under her fingers.

"My dad had a temper, made worse by the drugs that he was hooked on." Roy explained as he sat up, leaning his back against the headboard. He still avoided looking at Thea though as he didn't want to see pity in her eyes. "He always got more violent when things didn't go as he wanted them to. He had been hitting my mom for as long as I can remember, and he started hitting me when I was three. He gave me those scars when I was still really small, I don't remember exactly when. Once he realized he was leaving scars he found other ways, ways that wouldn't leave scars or marks that teachers or doctors would see."

Thea couldn't help the tears that were streaming down her face. She was incredibly sad for what Roy had had to endure as a child. She knew that it couldn't have been easy living with a father like that.

"That's why I started fighting in the Glades, because I could never fight back and win when I was a kid." Roy finally turned to Thea as he explained _why_ he had done what he had. "I had spent my whole life watching as my dad beat my mom, being beaten myself. When I was finally able to do something about it, something that mattered, it was too late for my mom. My dad had already left and my mom was so far gone on the drugs that she didn't even know I was there anymore. When I was able to help someone, keep them from having to experience what I did, I felt like I finally mattered to someone."

"I never mattered to my dad, or my mom." Roy looked away from Thea again. "I was reminded of that yesterday when he showed up at my house." Roy paused for a moment before he revealed the rest to Thea. "He is the new threat in town... He's the one who did this to me." Roy ended in a whisper as he looked at the floor next to the bed. He just knew that after he admitted all this to Thea that she would see him as damaged, broken, and leave him for good.

Thea was speechless, and that was saying a lot. She knew that Roy had had a rough life growing up, that things weren't easy for him. However, she couldn't even fathom _why_ a man would hurt his _own son_, why he would inject him with the Vertigo knowing that it could have killed him. She suddenly felt an incredible amount of rage towards this man and would have happily put an arrow in him herself. After a moment she suddenly realized what Roy was thinking as he was avoiding her now. _He's afraid that I'll see him as broken, just like Ollie thought __when he came back from the island. He thinks I won't want to be with him anymore!_ She thought. She realized then what she had to say to prove to Roy that she wasn't going anywhere.

"Roy Harper you look at me!" Thea said as she grabbed his hand. She waited until he turned at looked at her before she continued. "You may not have had the best past, the best family, but that does _not_ mean that you're damaged or broken in _any_ way! What happened to you, it made you _stronger_. It made you into the man that you are today. You put your life on the line, _every day_, with Oliver, Sara, Diggle, and Felicity. You _protect_ people. You protect the _whole city!" _She paused for a moment to take a deep breath and to allow her words to sink in.

"Roy, I don't care what happened to you before. All I care about is who you are _today_! _That_ is the man that I fell in love with. I love _you _and _nothing_ that you tell me can _ever_ change that!"

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><p><strong>AN: Does anyone have any idea how hard it is to write Arrow when watching The Flash? Please let me know what you thing and leave me a review! (This remains Arrow <em>and<em> Flash spoiler free please!)**


	14. Chapter 14: Train Hard, Fight Easy

**AN: Sorry for the slight delay in getting this posted. The muse was being difficult and wouldn't tell me what happened next! Thankfully I was enlightened last night (muse inspired dream lol). So, without further a due chapter 14.**

**Mic RiddyBanon, I am constantly amazed how you can find all my horrible mistakes and fix it to where people can understand it! Thank you for being my wonderful beta!**

**Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own Arrow. If I did, well let's just say I'd have an autograph, and a free pass to the set to watch the amazing Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Arrow! :D**

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><p><em>"Roy Harper you look at me!" Thea said as she grabbed his hand. She waited until he turned at looked at her before she continued. "You may not have had the best past, the best family, but that does not mean that you're damaged or broken in any way! What happened to you, it made you stronger. It made you into the man that you are today. You put your life on the line, every day, with Oliver, Sara, Diggle, and Felicity. You protect people. You protect the whole city!" She paused for a moment to take a deep breath and to allow her words to sink in.<em>

_"Roy, I don't care what happened to you before. All I care about is who you are today! That is the man that I fell in love with. I love you and nothing that you tell me can ever change that!"_

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><p><strong>Chapter 14 - Train Hard, Fight Easy<strong>

It had been several hours since Thea and Roy had disappeared upstairs to her room. Oliver hoped that that meant Roy was getting the rest that he needed. He knew the younger man would be physically sore for days to come, however, he hoped that with Thea there for him the emotional scars would heal faster. He still had a smile on his face as he rounded the corner at the top of the stairs. He had spent the last several hours going over the reception menu, final guest list, as well as a walk through of where they were holding the reception with his beautiful fiancé, his Felicity, _his girl._ The only thing that would make this day better would be if The Dealer wasn't out there targeting his Team.

"Thea." Oliver called as he knocked on his sister's door quietly. He spoke just loud enough that she would hear him, but hopefully he wouldn't wake Roy if he was sleeping.

"Come in Ollie." Thea answered barely above a whisper. She knew that Ollie's hearing was good enough that he would hear her, and she was thankful that she didn't have to talk to loud and risk waking Roy.

Oliver quietly opened the door and walked inside, noting that Roy was passed out on the bed and Thea was sitting next to him, gently rubbing his back. He smiled again to himself. _We would all be lost without the people in our lives who _don't_ wear a mask._ He thought to himself.

"How's he doing?" Oliver asked his sister as he pulled up a chair next to her bed.

"He's been sleeping for a few hours now." Thea answered as she turned back to her boyfriend, continuing the gentle movements of rubbing his back. "He's started tossing and turning a couple of times, which aggravated his injuries, but as long as I'm rubbing his back he sleeps peacefully."

"That's good." Oliver commented. "He needs as much peaceful sleep as he can get for his body to heal faster." He watched as her hand on Roy's back slowed at the base of his spine.

"Did you know he had these?" Thea asked quietly as she again stared at the scars on Roy's lower back. She knew that they all trained together and knew that the chances of him _not_ having seen them were pretty slim.

"I saw brief glimpses of them on a couple occasions, but that's it." Oliver answered carefully, not sure what she knew at this point.

"He told me today how he got them." Thea whispered quietly, remembering the pain in Roy's voice as he told her about his past.

Oliver could hear the hurt in his sister's voice and knew that she was hurting for Roy and what he had had to go through._  
><em>

"Did you know?" Thea asked again.

"About his past?" Oliver asked for clarification, even though he knew that's what she was talking about. "Yes. He told Diggle and me earlier."

"So that's what you talked about after we left." Thea stated, realizing now why the men had rushed them out of the lair earlier.

"Yes, but that's not why we sent you guys home." Oliver told her, still keeping his voice low to avoid waking Roy.

"Then why?" Thea was officially curious now.

"I was going to yell at him for going off to a meet on his own." Oliver told her honestly. "We ended up talking about _why_ he went alone, which led into him telling us."

"Why did he go?" Again curiosity got the best of Thea.

"He had his reasons, nothing worth mentioning right now." Oliver answered, not wanting to tell his sister more than Roy wanted.

"They better have been damn good reasons then." Thea was pissed that Roy had gone off alone now that she knew.

"They were Thea." Oliver said as he tried to calm her. "Well, I'm going to head to the basement and do a little workout. I just wanted to check and make sure you two were doing okay. Just yell if you need anything okay."

"Okay." Thea said as she gave her brother a smile. She watched him stand to leave and she called to him just as he reached her door. "Ollie... thank you. For being there for Roy. He may not say it but he really appreciates everything that you do for him - and so do I."

Oliver simply smiled at his sister in response, nodding his head in understanding, before leaving her room and heading downstairs to join the rest of the Team in a workout. It was days like today that he was thankful his mom had installed the new gym equipment in the basement. It made it much easier for the Team to keep an eye on anyone recovering from injuries, and yet still stay in top fighting condition.

When Oliver reached the basement he noticed that Sara and Sin were on the training mats together. It appeared that Sara was teaching the younger woman the basics of the bo staff. Oliver thought it was a great idea to train the younger, unofficial, Team members in self defense as you never knew when they would need the skills. Diggle had just entered the basement just moments before Oliver and was starting out on a warm up using the large punching bag in the corner. Oliver chose to start with some weights before moving on to the more fun things like the Salmon Ladder and sparring.

The Team trained in relative silence, the only sound being from Sara and Sin as the younger woman learned a new skill. It was about thirty minutes later, just as Oliver was getting ready to move to the Salmon Ladder, that Roy and Thea descended the stairs.

"Roy, how you feeling man?" Diggle asked as he walked over to the younger man.

"Better." Roy said simply, he did indeed feel better, even if he was still a bit sore.

"He woke up about thirty minutes ago, right after you left Ollie." Thea filled the Team in. "We went to the kitchen for food then decided to come find you all."

"How's the ribs?" Oliver asked, curious as to how long they would be able to keep Roy from physically exerting himself too much.

"Sore, but nothing to worry about." Roy said nonchalantly, letting Oliver know that he was still a bit sore, but was ready to jump back into things. "Thought I'd do a bit of training now that the Vertigo's worn off."

"On no you don't Roy Harper!" Thea turned to glare at him, getting right up in his face. "If you think I'm going to let you go back to training and fighting before you're _completely_ healed then you couldn't be more wrong!"

"Thea..." Roy started to argue.

"Don't you 'Thea' me!" Thea couldn't believe that Roy would even _think_ about getting back into things, not while he was still injured.

Everyone in the lair stood stone still. The basement was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop. However, they instead heard the familiar sound of heels clicking down the stairs, and Felicity's laughter as well.

"Thea, stop yelling at Roy, it won't help." Felicity said with a small smile as she finished descending the stairs. She had heard the yelling up in the kitchen and had a feeling that she knew what it was about. Her suspicions were confirmed when she started to go down into the basement and heard Thea's words.

"Felicity, he wants to start training again!" Thea whirled around to talk to the blonde. "He was hurt not even twenty four hours ago and he already wants to get back into training and fighting! He's going to hurt himself more if he does!"

"Thea, let me share something with you." Felicity said as she gestured to a bench nearby, Thea reluctantly joined her and the rest of the group went back to what they were doing. All except Oliver and Roy, who moved to the punching bag in the corner, pretending to ignore the conversation between the two women. "Thea, do you remember Oliver's first Christmas back from the Island?"

"Yes, he ended up in the hospital." Thea answered, unsure where the blonde was going with this. "We were told it was a motorcycle accident."

Felicity simply looked at the younger woman for a moment, waiting to see how long it would take her to figure out what she was hinting at.

"Wait. It wasn't a bike accident was it?" Thea asked, she had noticed the look from Felicity and that had caused her to think back to what had happened. "Oliver's the Arrow, so he was probably hurt by some bad guy wasn't he? What _actually _happened that night?" Thea finally asked, now extremely curious as to what had really happened.

"The Dark Archer had taken hostages, trying to lure Oliver out so he could try and kill him." Felicity explained carefully as she looked across the basement to the man that they were discussing. "He ended up with several arrows in him. He would have died in a dark alley that night if John hadn't found him in time."

"I never knew." Thea said thoughtfully.

"It wasn't long after that that there was another threat in town." Felicity turned back to Thea as she spoke. "Oliver didn't have nearly enough time to completely heal from his injuries before he had to go back to work as the Arrow."

"Why didn't he rest like he was supposed to?" Thea had asked a _lot _of questions recently and it seemed like that wasn't going to end any time soon.

"If Oliver had rested then half the town would have been burned to the ground." Felicity explained. "The cops, firemen, none of them could find the man responsible for all the fires that had been set around the city, but Oliver did. He stopped him despite the injuries that he was still recovering from."

Thea and Felicity both sat in silence for a moment as Felicity thought to come up with another example that Thea would be familiar with.

"You remember when Vertigo was a problem? When Oliver stepped in to try and help find the guy that was responsible for distributing it?" Felicity knew that _this_ example would be a good one as Thea had struggled with the use of the drug herself, as well as the fact that Roy was just barely over the effects of the drug himself.

"Yeah, he almost got arrested because of it." Thea clearly remembered that. She had felt guilty for getting Oliver in trouble like she had, even if it wasn't _really_ her fault.

"Did you know that he was injected with a concentrated dose of Vertigo that night?" Felicity asked, already knowing the answer.

"What?!" Thea couldn't believe that she had never heard this before. _Why would he not tell us?_ Thea thought to herself._  
><em>

"Do you remember whether or not the Arrow took time off after that night?" Felicity was trying to guide Thea into a better understanding of how and why the Team worked as they did.

"No, he didn't. The Count was taken down within days." Thea thought to herself out loud. She thought that she was finally understanding what Felicity was trying to tell her.

"Even after Malcolm Merlyn abducted us all Oliver didn't wait for his body to heal." Felicity pulled one more story from their long list in order to drive her point home. "He was seriously injured, and yet, he still freed himself from his chains, took down one of Merlyn's guards, freed everyone else from their cells, and then went on to fight Malcolm and defeat him. Do you have any idea why he did that Thea? Why he would keep fighting despite the multitude of injuries?"

Thea sat in silence for a moment. She knew that Oliver had been through a lot, she just hadn't realized exactly what Malcolm Merlyn had done, nor what Oliver had done so soon after.

"There were people that needed my protection, my help." Oliver answered for Thea as he and Roy walked up to the women. He decided that now was a good time to enter the conversation, to help his sister understand _why_ they did things the way that they did. "If I hadn't fought Malcolm Merlyn that day then he could have hurt those I care about even more. I couldn't let that happen."

"Thea, what they do, it _is_ dangerous." Felicity took Thea's hand in hers, drawing the younger woman's attention once more. "Yes, they get hurt. But they don't let, _can't_ let that stop them. If Oliver, Roy, John, and Sara stopped each time they got hurt to allow their bodies to heal completely then more innocent people would get hurt, or killed. They keep going to protect this city, to protect us."

"We push ourselves to our physical limit, and then more, while we train so that when it comes time to face a criminal we are ready." Oliver explained some more. "If we don't push ourselves now, when we're injured, then how can we expect to win in a fight? We can't just call a time out in the middle of taking a gang down simply because we are hurt."

"It's hard watching them as they push themselves, trust me I know!" Felicity told Thea. "But I also know that if Oliver can't train here when he has bruised ribs then there is no way he can keep going in the field when someone like Cyrus Gold hurts him."

"You push yourselves _that_ hard, just so you can be the Arrow?" Thea asked as she turned once again to her brother.

"Train hard, fight easy." Sara said from across the room with a hint of a smile. Reminding them all why it was necessary.

"Yes." Oliver answered with a nod of his head. "I, we, push ourselves because people depend on _us_ to keep the city safe. Thea, if Roy doesn't train now, even while his ribs are sore, do you think he will be able to face the same man again and be ready?"

"No." Thea whispered as she looked to Roy.

"Thea, I know you're worried about me." Roy said as he knelt in front of his girlfriend. "But my dad, he's ruthless. He will stop at nothing until he accomplishes what he came here for. I have to be sure I'm ready when I see him again. He might not let me walk away next time if he beats me and I _can't _ make the Team face him alone."

"I guess you had better be careful then so you don't hurt yourself more." Thea finally said after a moment of silence as she thought about everything that the Team had told her. She knew that they were right, she couldn't expect Roy to be able to hold his own if he didn't know how to fight when injured. She just hoped Oliver would make sure Roy didn't hurt himself more.

"Don't worry Thea." Oliver said with a smile. "I won't let him hurt himself anymore."

With that Oliver and Roy turned back to the training equipment. Thea watched, fascinated, as Roy took off his hoodie and began to beat up the punching bag and Oliver grabbed onto the bar of the Salmon Ladder, easily making his way up to the top.

"You know." Felicity said quietly from beside Thea. "We're more alike than you think!"

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave me a review to let me know if you liked it?<strong>


	15. Chapter 15: Investment

**AN: All the amazing support is greatly appreciated. Thank you to everyone who leaves me a favorite, follow, or review!**

**Mic RiddyBanon, my wonderful beta. We all appreciate you assistance in finding my mistakes!**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine. Arrow belongs to the CW. **

**Reminder: Please remember to keep things Arrow/Flash spoiler free for those who may not have seen the episode yet.**

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><p><em>With that Oliver and Roy turned back to the training equipment. Thea watched, fascinated, as Roy took off his hoodie and began to beat up the punching bag and Oliver grabbed onto the bar of the Salmon Ladder, easily making his way up to the top.<em>

_"You know." Felicity said quietly from beside Thea. "We're more alike than you think!"_

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><p><strong>Chapter 15 - Investment<strong>

Felicity's comment was proven to be true within minutes. Both Thea and Felicity could not tear their eyes away from their men. Felicity was enjoying watching Oliver as he made his way up the Salmon Ladder several times with such easy grace. She couldn't help but smile as she watched his muscles flex. She would never grow tired of watching him train shirtless.

Thea on the other hand was just getting the first glimpses of what Roy was capable of. He had started in on the punching bag after he had removed his hoodie, however, his tank top came off quickly after as it rapidly became drenched in sweat. Thea watched in amazement as Roy quickly, and powerfully, threw punches and kicks at the punching bag. She was in awe as she watched his muscles as he trained. She had never realized just _how_ _strong_ he was until just this minute.

Diggle was just finishing some reps with the weights when he noticed the looks on Felicity's and Thea's faces. It was the same look that Felicity had had the first time she watched Oliver train shirtless in the lair. He gave a small laugh as he moved to where Sin and Sara were still working on the mats.

"How about some sparring?" Diggle asked, ready to get down to some real work.

"Sounds good." Sara said as she went to put up the equipment that she and Sin had been working with. The younger woman looked pleased to get a break and went to sit near Thea and Felicity. The look on Sin's face let Sara know that she was excited to see the sparring that was about to commence.

"Oliver, Roy, wanna join us?" Sara asked as she shared a smile with Diggle, having seen the look on Felicity's and Thea's faces as well. She knew that sparring would put Thea in even more of a daze as she would see what Roy could _really_ do.

Oliver dropped gracefully to the floor, landing in a silent crouch at the bottom of the Salmon Ladder. Looking up he noticed the smile on his fiancé's face and realized, yet again, that he would never tire of seeing her reaction to him always training shirtless.

Roy turned from his place at the punching bag to join the rest of the Team on the mats. He could see the look of awe in Thea's eyes and it brought a smile to his face. _So this is how Oliver feels when Felicity watches him train. No wonder he does the Salmon Ladder shirtless all the time._ He thought to himself as he saw the smile on his mentor's face as well.

"Well... how do we want to do this?" Sara asked, knowing they had to decide basics before getting started.

"Roy and I will start." Oliver decided as he turned to look at the younger man. "Then you two can join in. Roy and me against you two. Just be careful of the ribs." Oliver commented. He wasn't telling them to completely avoid hitting Roy there, just that they were to remember he was already hurt and not to make it much worse.

After Oliver's comments Sara and Diggle took a couple of steps back as Oliver and Roy faced off.

"They're not going to hurt him are they?" Thea asked, suddenly more than a little worried for her still recovering boyfriend.

"Don't you remember what they just said?" Sin asked as Oliver and Roy began their sparring. "Train hard, fight easy. I get it, they have to know they can keep going no matter what." She turned to look at Thea. "I don't think Oliver would let them do anything to really hurt Roy more though."

"She's right." Felicity said as she placed a comforting hand on Thea's arm. "They won't avoid his ribs completely, but you can rest assured that they won't hurt him too much or make his injuries worse."

Thea knew that what they were saying was true, however, she couldn't help the wince as Oliver hit Roy in the side, eliciting a small grunt of pain from Roy. What _did_ surprise her though was that he kept fighting, not even slowing down, and the look of approval from her brother in response.

Oliver and Roy continued to spar for another five minutes before Sara and Diggle joined in. Thea and Sin sat transfixed, having never seen the Team work like this before. The sight awed them and proved that the Team really did know what they were doing. They were all amazing fighters on their own, but when you got them all together they were a major force to be reckoned with. Thea knew then that their target, Roy's dad, didn't stand a chance as long as the Team had Roy's back.

The Team had been sparring for about twenty minutes when Oliver's phone rang.

"Hello Detective, what can we do for you?" Felicity answered Oliver's phone on the second ring.

"I have a proposition for you all." Lance told the Felicity, the excitement evident in his voice. "Why don't you guys meet me at the old SCPD training facility. You know where that is right?"

"Yes Detective, we do. Be there in thirty?" Felicity asked, making sure that wasn't too soon for the Detective.

"Perfect, see you then." Lance confirmed before hanging up.

"What was that all about?" Oliver asked. They had stopped their sparring when they heard it was Lance on the phone and they were all now very curious as to what he had needed.

"That was Lance. He said he had a proposition for us and to meet him at the old SCPD training facility in thirty minutes." Felicity explained as she stood.

"Let's go then." Oliver said as he took Felicity's hand, leading the group up the stairs.

"Your bike's on the way. We should stop and get it." Diggle commented as they reached the foyer of the house.

"Okay, here's the plan." Oliver turned to the group. "We all change and meet back here in five minutes. Digg, we'll take the SUV. We will stop by and get my bike on the way. Sara, you can take it to the meet. After that we all go the the lair. There's something we need to do there." Oliver finished as he shared a knowing look with Diggle, Sara, and Felicity.

Twenty five minutes later the Team pulled up next to Detective Lance's vehicle. Oliver was out first and walked up to Detective Lance.

"Detective." Oliver said with a smile as he reached out to shake the man's hand.

"Oliver." Lance said with a smile as he watched the Team gather around to hear what he had to say.

"What brings us here Detective?" Diggle asked, curious as to what the other man had up his sleeve.

"I thought that Queen Consolidated might be interested in making an investment." Lance said with a smile as he turned to punch in a code into the security panel which then opened the large gate in front of them. "This is our old SWAT training facility. We are about to sell it and I thought I'd mention it to you first to see if you would be interested in it for training purposes. After all, between the mansion and Queen Consolidated you employ a small army of security personnel. Besides, I thought our resident vigilante might want a place other than a dark basement to train."

Oliver couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. He couldn't believe the opportunity before them. He turned to look at the property spread out before them. He started to walk through the gate with Felicity, Roy, and Thea to his right and Diggle, Sara, and Sin on his left. Lance followed directly behind them and began spouting off the information for the compound.

"The compound sits on twenty acres of land." Lance began, as the Team before him slowly made their way down the center drive. "Over on your right you have the warehouse. Inside you have a shooting range and gym in a quarter of the building, the rest is set up as a training course. On the left you have the kill house. It's a five bed, two bath house used to simulate hostage situations, domestic disputes, etc. It can be used for just about anything." Lance walked past the group, who had stopped to take it all in, before turning back to them to continue his explanations.

"Down past the house is the tower. It's a ten story structure also set up as a training course. In the back of the property there is an old school bus, a city bus, and even a small Learjet. Again, all are used as training courses. You'll also find an obstacle course just beyond the tower." Lance could see the look in Oliver's eyes and was pleased that he had thought to call him. He knew that this would be a great location for them to train on things that they would _not_ be able to train on in their lair in Verdant or in the Queen basement. "There is an electrified fence with barbed wire all around the compound. It is also fitted with surveillance cameras everywhere. Not to mention the coded gate."

The group stood in silence for a few minutes as each person took in their surroundings and all the information that Detective Lance had just shared with them. Finally Oliver spoke.

"Digg?" Oliver asked as he turned to his partner.

"This could be good man." Diggle commented as he nodded his head, turning to look at Oliver. "We could get in some good field training here, not to mention the benefits of having it for the security teams." He could already see the endless training possibilities that were before him.

"Felicity?" Oliver asked as he turned to the woman on his other side.

"Electrified fence, coded gate, security cameras. I can build a fortified security system as well as isolate the cameras so only we can have access to them." Felicity was already planning the ways that she could improve security. "It would give us a great tool to work on getting in and out around surveillance. Our own private training camp." She said with a smile.

"Sara?" Oliver then asked the trained assassin on his Team.

"The possibilities are endless Oliver." Sara commented as she faced her friend. "There is an undeniable advantage to being able to train in a compound like this. We could hone our skills even more here." She said as she thought about the training facility that the League uses in Nanda Parbat. She knew how advantageous it was to have a place like this. Somewhere they could go to run through different scenarios, without being shot at.

"Roy?" Oliver asked the youngest member of their Team.

"I agree with Sara." Roy commented as he put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "It would be nice to get some training in in a place like this. It would almost be like training in the field, just without people trying to kill us. Plus, with Felicity's badass security skills we could lock this place down whenever we use it."

Oliver stood for a minute, weighing the words of each of his Team members. "I'll make the call." Oliver said as he looked back to Lance with a huge smile on his face.

"Looks like Queen Consolidated is making a new investment for their security team."

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you all yet again for taking the time to read! Please do me a favor and leave me a review to let me know what you think!<strong>


	16. Chapter 16: Team Business

**AN: Thank you all so very much for your amazing support of this fic! Your favorites, follows, and reviews inspire me to continue to write!**

**Mic RiddyBanon, I apologize for distracting you from your next chapter of "Island" with this... Ok, not really :) Thanks for your beta help!**

**Disclaimer: If you haven't figured it out yet CW owns Arrow.**

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><p><em>Oliver stood for a minute, weighing the words of each of his Team members. "I'll make the call." Oliver said as he looked back to Lance with a huge smile on his face.<em>

_"Looks like Queen Consolidated is making a new investment for their security team."_

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><p><strong>Chapter 16: Team Business<strong>

The Team spent the next hour touring the training facility with Lance. Oliver couldn't be more pleased with the prospect of training here as the opportunities were endless. Not to mention the benefit of having the compound available to train the Queen security teams. Finally they all circled back around to the main gate and gathered next to the vehicles.

"Detective, thankyou!" Oliver said as he shook Detective Lance's hand again, his gratitude evident in his voice.

"I'm always willing to do anything I can to help." Lance replied with a smile as he returned Oliver's handshake.

"We have to go take care of some business at the lairbut you are more than welcome to join us at the Mansion for dinner." Oliver invited, knowing his mom wouldn't mind extra company.

"Thanks. I think I'll take you up on that." Lance accepted the dinner invitation. "I guess I'll see you all later then." He said to the Team as he got in his car before driving away, leaving Team Arrow standing outside the training compound.

"Okay Team." Oliver said as he turned to the group assembled before him. "Let's head to Verdant and get down to business." _**  
><strong>_

Sara jumped on Oliver's bike with Sin right riding behind her as the rest of the Team piled into the SUV that they had brought. Both vehicles headed out towards the lair.

"So why are we here again?" Thea asked a few minutes later as the group was making their way down the stairs to the lair.

"You'll see." Sara said cryptically as she went to stand next to Diggle, Felicity, and Oliver.

"Roy..." Oliver started as he, Felicity, Diggle, and Sara stood together to face the younger three in the room. "We haven't always seen eye to eye on things. Nor have we always gotten along. However, you have proven to be an integral part of this Team. Your skills on the streets, passion for protecting people, willingness to learn, and dedication to this Team is what has brought us down here today. You have helped to save not only my life, but the lives of everyone on this Team on multiple occasions. We owe you our thanks."

"We know we haven't always made working with us easy, and yet you never give up." Diggle added with a smile, enjoying the look of shock on Roy's face as he listened to what they had to say. "You've trained really hard to get to where you are today and we are proud of everything you have accomplished."

"In the League of Assassins there is a tradition. Once a person has completed their training they go into a room and choose their weapon. For Nyssa it was the bow and arrow, I chose the bo staff. Each weapon has its own merits, and is only as good as the person who wields them." Sara said as she pulled the cover off of the first case revealing an array of weapons from arrows, to throwing knives, to metal batons.

Roy was speechless. He stepped up to the new weapons case and gently reached a hand out, lifting out one of the arrows. These looked the same as Oliver's, except for the fact that they were a deep red, deeper red than his hoodie. He turned to look at Oliver, still shocked as to what this meant.

"Are these mine?" Roy asked. Clearly they were, but he was still too shocked to completely process everything before him. Oliver smiled and nodded his head. He turned back to the case and looked over everything. Finally he noticed the empty spot in the center, the place where Oliver hung his bow in his weapons case.

"Oh, yeah, my turn!" Felicity said, slightly flustered. She had been having somuch fun watching Roy take everything in that she almost forgot it was her turn to speak. "We didn't get you just one weapon because you've proven your skill with each of these. However, you can't have arrows without a bow." Roy turned to look at her and she walked over to the last case that they had not unpacked yet, gesturing for Roy to follow her. "So you're going to need this." She gently opened the case and smiled as Roy's eyes grew bigger. "We had it custom made."

Roy could not believe his eyes, again. He reached out and carefully lifted the recurve bow from the case before him, gently turning it in his hand as he felt the weight and balance of the new weapon. The bow was also a deep red and black, just as the arrows were, and Roy knew without a shadow of a doubt that these were specifically made for _him_.

"In the Army there is a uniform." Diggle commented after a minute, drawing the attention of everyone back across the room to where he stood next to the second of the display cases. "It's issued to a new soldier before they send him into battle. Your hoodie is great, but it's not our fabric of choice." He grabbed the cover of the case and slowly pulled it off as he continued to speak. "We prefer leather!"

Thea gasped in surprise as she watched the case before her light up, revealing a new leather suit inside. It was black and red, the same color as the arrow and Roy's new bow. She watched as he stepped closer to it, awestruck. It was a hooded suit, just like Oliver's, except in a different color. There were pockets on the pant legs that held metal batons. Where a gun holster would normally sit there was a pouch of smaller red fleshettes on one side, and throwing knives on the other. On the back she could see a red and black quiver full of red arrows. There were also heavy duty black boots to go with the outfit.

"Well... How'd we do?" Felicity asked, curious as always.

"It's..." Roy started to say, then realized he was speechless. "Wow!" Was all he managed to come up with.

"Why don't you go try it on." Oliver suggested with a huge smile on his face, clearly pleased with Roy's reaction.

Roy took the suit and went to change, still amazed at what his Team had done for him. Thea and Sin took the opportunity to step closer to the cases and see all that the Team had given Roy. Only a few short minutes later Roy reemerged, suited up.

"Looks good on you." Diggle commented with a smile as he took in the look of Roy fully suited up in the red leather.

"One more thing." Oliver said as he picked up a small box that had been sitting on Felicity's desk. He walked up to Roy and handed him the small box. "A friend once told me that if you survive a crucible you grow the stronger for it. This is to remind you of that."

Roy gently pulled out a new mask, this one a deeper red than the old one, the same deep red as his new suit, and he looked up to meet Oliver's eyes.

"Here, allow me." Thea said as she walked up to Roy. She took the mask from his hands and gently put it into place before reaching back and pulling up his hood. She stepped back and smiled, as did the rest of the group standing behind her in the lair.

"How do I look?" Roy asked Thea, caring only for her opinion at the moment. He smiled broadly at her response.

"Like a hero!"

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><p><strong>AN: And... you all know the drill. Please leave me a lovely review to let me know what you think! <strong>


	17. Chapter 17: Tech Battle

**AN: Thank you all for the crazy amount of support and encouragement! I really appreciate each and every one of you!**

**Mic RiddyBanon has once again worked her magic as my beta... Thank You!**

**SPOILER WARNING! I know I have been telling people to keep things spoiler free... and I stand by that statement. However, there was a video clip ****(a scene from the Season 3 premier) ****released well before the premier in both the US and the UK that I have chosen to snag a couple of things from. Therefore, there are very minor spoilers for the season 3 premier. Please don't hate me. (You can find the clip on youtube if you haven't seen it yet)**

**Disclaimer: Yup, still belongs to the CW :(**

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><p><em>"One more thing." Oliver said as he picked up a small box that had been sitting on Felicity's desk. He walked up to Roy and handed him the small box. "A friend once told me that if you survive a crucible you grow the stronger for it. This is to remind you of that."<em>

_Roy gently pulled out a new mask, this one a deeper red than the old one, the same deep red as his new suit, and he looked up to meet Oliver's eyes._

_"Here, allow me." Thea said as she walked up to Roy. She took the mask from his hands and gently put it into place before reaching back and pulling up his hood. She stepped back and smiled, as did the rest of the group standing behind her in the lair._

_"How do I look?" Roy asked Thea, caring only for her opinion at the moment. He smiled broadly at her response._

_"Like a hero!"_

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><p><strong>Chapter 17: Tech Battle<strong>

"Where are we in tracking the Arrow?" The Dealer asked his men. He had been trying to track down the man in green for four days. Unfortunately for him, Starling City was quiet and low on crime during the time he had been in town, which meant the Arrow was nowhere to be seen.

"There haven't been any sightings since we've come to town." Andrew said from the bank of computers. "I've been searching everywhere and I can't find him. He must be hiding out."

"Well let's find a way to bring him out into the open then!" The Dealer growled at his men who were simply standing around doing nothing. "I want him found, and captured, _**AND I WANT IT DONE YESTERDAY**_!" He bellowed, causing his men to scatter to different part of the building.

"Sir, do you have anything particular in mind?" Andrew asked. He knew his boss had to have _something_ in the works. He always did in cases like this.

"We are going to set a trap." The Dealer said with a smile as he watched the evening news.

"Go on." Andrew encouraged. He knew that whatever the man was thinking was going to be epic, and he found he was excited, and eagerly anticipating whatever was coming.

"Look, there's a big concert in town tomorrow." The Dealer said with a smile as he pointed to the television in front of him.

"Perfect place for something to happen." Andrew said with a smile as he started to pull up the schematics for the auditorium where the concert was to be held. "Shall I call David?"

"Yes." The Dealer said as he spun around to look at his right hand man. "Tell him it needs to be big." He told Andrew as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "I want to make _sure_ the Arrow is there. It's time to see what we are up against."

* * *

><p>"Well Roy, since you're already suited up what do you say to going on patrol?" Oliver asked, knowing the kid would want to try out his suit the first chance he could.<p>

"Sounds like a plan to me." Roy said, the joy clearly evident in his voice.

"Let me suit up then we'll head out." Oliver said as he grabbed his own suit to go change.

"What does he mean patrol?" Sin asked, curious as to exactly _how_ this Team worked.

"They are going to go out and roam the streets." Diggle explained. "If they keep up appearances then the bad guys will remember we're around and watching, and the good guys will continue to feel safe knowing we are still here."

"That makes sense." Thea said as she pulled up a chair next to Felicity. "And what do you do while they are all out on the town?" She asked the blonde.

"I keep in contact with them on the comms, keep an eye on the police scanners for anything going down in town, and I alert them if anything pops up, providing technical support if and when they need it." Felicity explained as she pulled out the comm units and placed them on the desk for the guys. "Are you and Sara joining them?" Felicity asked Diggle.

"Nah, it's a slow night so I think I'm going to go see Lyla." Diggle answered, thankful that they could take a relaxing night off for once.

"I'm going to go spend some time with Dad and Laurel before dinner." Sara commented just as Oliver walked back into the room.

"Sounds good." Oliver said as he strapped his quiver into place before putting his earpiece in so he could stay in contact with everyone.

"Oliver, remember dinner's at eight tonight." Felicity reminded him as she handed Oliver his mask.

"I know." Oliver said with a smile before he leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her cheek. "We're just going to do some quick rounds and help Roy break in his new suit."

"You sticking around?" Roy asked Thea as he put his comms unit in his ear as well.

"Yeah, I want to see how everything works if that okay with you Felicity." Thea said as she turned to ask the blonde next to her.

"That's fine Thea." Felicity answered with a smile. _Maybe I can teach her a few things while we're at it_. She thought to herself.

"Be careful Roy." Thea told her boyfriend as she turned to face him, noting the smile on his face, reminding her just how handsome he was.

"I always am." Roy said as he leaned down to give Thea a kiss.

"Okay Roy, let's go." Oliver said as he turned to the stairs.

Once outside they took to the rooftops and started their patrol near the nightclubs in the Glades that were just opening for business for the evening.

* * *

><p>"Boss." Andrew called to The Dealer. "I've got something."<p>

"What is it?" The Dealer asked as he stood and walked over to the computers to see what his IT guy had found.

"The Arrow, I just found him." Andrew said as he pulled up the camera feed. "Looks like he's just roaming around." He commented to himself.

"Follow him. I want to know where he goes." The Dealer told Andrew. _Time to see if I can figure out where his base of operations is._ He thought to himself. They both watched the computer screens, Andrew pinpointing each place the Arrow had been spotted on a map. Finally after about thirty minutes they found a pattern.

"It looks like he is just out on patrol." Andrew said to his boss who was looking over his shoulder. "Wait! What was that?" He had finally gotten a clear shot of the man in the hood on a security camera, and he wasn't alone. "There's someone else with him."

"Find out who that is!" The Dealer said with a growl. "I need to know who we are dealing with!" He turned back to his desk and sat down, looking over the schematics for the auditorium again.

* * *

><p>"That's strange." Felicity said to herself as she suddenly started typing furiously. She had been showing Thea the ropes on accessing the traffic cameras and how to follow the guys with them when she noticed an irregularity.<p>

"What's wrong Felicity?" Thea asked, curious about the sudden change in her soon to be sister-in-law.

"Someone else is following Roy and Oliver. They are accessing the same cameras that we are." Felicity explained as she continued to type furiously. "Oliver, Roy, you need to avoid cameras! Someone else is watching you with them." She said into her comms. _The last thing we need is for someone else to be__ tracking them._ She thought to herself.

"Do you know who it is Felicity?" Oliver asked as he and Roy changed directions, taking to the higher roofs where he knew the camera coverage was scarce.

"I'm willing to bet it's The Dealer." Felicity explained, not taking her eyes of her screens nor slowing her typing hands. "I'm going to try to back trace his signal and see if I can find his location."

"Keep me posted." Oliver responded.

"Always."

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><p>"Boss, we have a problem." Andrew told the other man.<p>

"What is it now?" The Dealer growled.

"Someone's found my signal." Andrew explained as he typed furiously at his computer. "They're fast - and good."

"So _lose_ them!" The last thing The Dealer wanted was for someone to figure out where they were based and send the Arrow after them.

"I'm going to change the network I'm using." Andrew commented as he worked furiously. "I can bounce the signal off satellites, thanks to ARGUS." He said to himself, just before his computer beeped out a warning. "NO!"

"What is happening?" The Dealer was getting impatient.

"They've almost found me. Man this guy is good!" Andrew said, angry that someone was just as good as he was.

"Pull the plug!" The Dealer demanded. "NOW!"

* * *

><p>"What? Where'd he go?" Felicity asked no one in particular.<p>

"Felicity?" Oliver had been listening in on her babbling and was now worried about what had happened.

"I lost him Oliver." Felicity explained, irritated. "His signal just disappeared. He was trying to bounce his signal off some ARGUS satellites but I had almost found him anyway. Then suddenly he just vanishes!"

"It's okay Felicity, I'm sure you'll have another chance to get him." Oliver said calmly. He knew that she would be worried and simply tried to comfort her as best he could from this distance.

Suddenly Oliver's phone rang. He answered on the second ring, the voice on the other end surprising him.

Roy followed Oliver to the rooftop where the Arrow used to meet with Detective Lance, before he knew who the Arrow was.

"Wait here." Oliver instructed, referring to the corner of the roof furthest away from the man they were to meet.

"You want some privacy so you can kick his ass for hitting on Felicity?" Roy asked jokingly.

"No, but I think he might want some." Oliver explained as he turned to meet the man on the other side of the roof. However, as the two began to speak Roy realized that even though Oliver hadn't left his comms unit on he could still hear everything.

* * *

><p>Roy listened intently as Oliver spoke with Barry Allen. The kid had been struck by lightning, putting him in a coma for nine months. He had just recently woken up to realize that he now had 'super speed'. Roy drew himself out of his thoughts, where he had been thinking of all the advantages of that particular power, as Barry finished explaining what had brought him all the way to Starling City.<p>

"So that's my story." Barry told Oliver. "I've spent my whole life searching for the impossible, never imagining that I would _become_ the impossible."

"So why come to me?" Oliver asked. "Something tells me you didn't just run six hundred miles to say hi to a friend." Roy laughed quietly at Oliver's tone of voice.

"All my life I've wanted to do more, _be_ more, and now I am and the first chance I get to help someone I screw up." Barry explained. Roy could hear the pain and regret in the other man's voice. He had been there, he knew how it felt. "I was chasing the bad guy and...and someone died."

"You really do this, you're going to make mistakes." Oliver told Barry. Roy could hear the complete honesty, the emotion, in his mentor's voice. Oliver was clearly remembering. "I've made mistakes. But the good you do will far outweigh the bad."

"What if Wells is right? What if I'm not a hero? What if I'm just some guy who was struck by lightning?" Barry questioned, clearly unsure if he would be able to do what he knew he _needed_ to do. _Just like me._ Roy thought. He didn't know if, given his past, he would _actually_ be able to make a difference, be the hero that Thea said he was.

"I don't think that bolt of lightning struck you Barry." Oliver told the younger man. "I think it _chose_ you."

"I'm just not sure I'm like you Oliver. I don't know if I can be some... vigilante." Barry told Oliver. _I get that one._ Roy thought, clearly seeing where Barry was going with this. _I'm _never_ going to be able to make the difference Oliver does._

_"_You can be better." Oliver told him. "Because you can inspire people, in a way that I never could. Watching over your city like a guardian angel. Making a difference. Saving people... In a flash."

Oliver turned and moved a few steps away, waving Roy over.

"Who are you?" Barry asked as he looked Roy over.

"He's my partner." Oliver explained with a smile. "Barry Allen, meet Roy Harper."

"Hey." Roy said, noting that Barry looked only slightly shocked.

"That's quite an arsenal you've got there Roy." Barry commented as he noted the various weapons on Roy's person.

"Take your own advice." Oliver said with a smile as he turned back to Barry one last time. "Wear a mask."

With that Oliver turned and ran to the edge of the building, Roy right behind him. They leapt over the side simultaneously and each loosed a grappling arrow into the building next door. Both Oliver and Roy came to a stop hanging from their ropes on the side of the building and Roy looked over to see Barry running away in a streak of red. Only one word came to mind.

"Cool!"

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) Please let me know what you thought in a review! Thanks.<strong>


	18. Chapter 18: News

**AN: I want to give everyone a sincere Thank You for all the amazing support and encouragement that has been shown for me as an author as well as this fic. You are all amazing and are the reason I continue to write.**

**Speaking of writing...I updated another one of my stories, 'She Knew', yesterday and would be honored if you all would check it out!**

**Mic RiddyBanon again worked her magic on this chapter and helped with all my mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: Did you all know that the CW is airing episode 50 of Arrow tomorrow?! That means it belongs to them... not me! :(**

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><p><em>"Who are you?" Barry asked as he looked Roy over.<em>

_"He's my partner." Oliver explained with a smile. "Barry Allen, meet Roy Harper."_

_"Hey." Roy said, noting that Barry looked only slightly shocked._

_"That's quite an arsenal you've got there Roy." Barry commented as he noted the various weapons on Roy's person._

_"Take your own advice." Oliver said with a smile as he turned back to Barry one last time. "Wear a mask."_

_With that Oliver turned and ran to the edge of the building, Roy right behind him. They leapt over the side simultaneously and each loosed a grappling arrow into the building next door. Both Oliver and Roy came to a stop hanging from their ropes on the side of the building and Roy looked over to see Barry running away in a streak of red. Only one word came to mind._

_"Cool!"_

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><p><strong>Chapter 18 - News<strong>

"You guys have made us _so_ late!" Felicity said as soon as Roy and Oliver entered the lair. "We were supposed to be at the Mansion twenty minutes ago. Your mom's going to kill us!"

"Felicity, I don't think mom's going to be that mad." Thea said with a laugh as she hugged Roy, subtly checking to make sure he was still in one piece. "Besides, I texted her to let her know we were running late. I don't think she'll make a big deal out of it now that she knows."

"Thea's right Felicity." Oliver said as he placed his bow back in the case. "Don't worry about it. Roy and I will change and we can go." He smiled at her just before placing a small kiss on her lips.

It only took the men five minutes to be ready to leave again and they were soon on their way to the Queen Mansion. Thea and Oliver had been right, there was no need to worry. When they walked in the front door of the mansion they were each greeted with a hug from Moira.

"Sorry we're late mom." Oliver said as he returned her hug.

"I assume it was unavoidable." Moira commented with a smile.

"Yes, we got a call from a friend who needed to talk." Oliver explained vaguely. He noticed the questioning look from Felicity and simply gave her a look that said they would talk later.

The group moved to the dining room where the Lance family and Walter were gathered.

"Everything good on the Arrow front?" Lance asked, curious as to whether or not it was a new case that had kept the group.

"Everything's fine Detective." Oliver smiled, happy that he no longer had to hide the truth or make his sorry excuses. He was finally able to be honest with those in this room and it had taken a huge load off of his shoulder.

"Does that mean we can eat then? Because I'm starving!" Roy commented as he smelled the delicious food in the kitchen.

Everyone laughed as they sat down to enjoy a nice leisurely dinner with friends and family.

* * *

><p>"David Wilson has arrived sir." Andrew told his boss as he escorted the man into the office.<p>

"Wonderful!" The Dealer said with glee as he rose to shake David's hand. "Good to see you again David."

"Sir." David answered, clearly ready to get to the point. "I understand that you have a job for me?"

"Yes, there is a concert in this auditorium tomorrow." The Dealer told the man as they walked over to look at the blueprints spread out on the table. "I want you to blow it up."

"How large of an explosion would you like?" David asked with a smile, already planning out the bomb in his head.

"As large as you want! I'm trying to get someones attention with it." The Dealer answered. He wanted to _make sure_ that this would draw out the Arrow. He knew David would _not_ fail him.

"I'll need some supplies." David commented distractedly as he looked over the blueprints before him.

"I'll give you a list of places you can find what you need." The Dealer informed him. "You can get anything you want in this town... you just have to know where to look."

* * *

><p>Detective Lance was excited to finally share his news. He had managed to wait until they were well into the meal, however the excitement was officially too much to bear.<p>

"Okay everyone, I have an announcement to make." Lance finally said, the excitement clear in his voice as he stood, gaining the attention of everyone at the table.

"As you all know I was demoted to Officer after the Chief learned I was working with the Arrow." Lance started to explain, however he saw a slight look of regret on Oliver's face at those words and knew he had to clear that up between them first. "Oliver, it wasn't your fault! I chose to work with you remember? You did _not_ force me into anything!" He finally smiled when he saw Oliver's hesitant nod, indicating that he understood.

"Anyway, in light of recent events, mainly how I haven't screwed anything up recently and the fact that they are a couple of guys short, they have chosen to give me a second chance." Lance paused for effect, smiling broadly at the looks on his daughter's faces as they understood what he was telling them.

"Dad?!" Laurel asked hesitantly, unsure if she was understanding him correctly.

"Yeah!" Lance said with a huge grin. "They made me a Detective again!"

Everyone at the table stood to congratulate the Detective. They had all, especially Team Arrow, felt guilty after Lance had been demoted seeing as it was because he had been working with them. Oliver knew what advantages the Team would have now that Lance was a Detective once again. He also knew that they would have to be more careful in order for this partnership to work again.

"Looks like we are back in business in a whole new way." Lance said to Oliver as they shook hands.

"What do you mean Detective?" Oliver asked, confused.

"They made me more than just a Detective." Lance explained, still giddy over the news. "I am also the new SCPD Liaison to the Arrow and his Team!"

"What? Dad are you serious?" Sara asked as she looked at Oliver, noting his shocked expression.

"There was a long debate over the issue, but, most of the Force agrees that the Arrow and his Team have done nothing but good for this city." Lance explained and he pulled Sara close with an arm around her shoulder. "The Chief decided that if you're going to go after bad guys you might as well be on our side and help us out."

"Wow!" Felicity said, completely speechless. Which for her was saying a lot in this situation!

"We won't be hunting you anymore Oliver." Lance told the younger man. He was so excited that he was able to share this news with the Team personally.

"Thank you Detective!" Oliver said around a lump in his throat. He had never envisioned that this would happen, that the SCPD would stop hunting him, and actually welcome his help and that of his Team.

"Well, shall we celebrate the good news with some dessert?" Moira asked once the excitement had died down a bit. She couldn't describe the joy, and relief, that she felt at the Detective's news.

The group had just sat down to dessert when Lance's phone rang. Oliver and Sara immediately looked to him as he stood and stepped out to answer the call. Lance was only out of the room for a moment before he returned and looked at Oliver.

"We have a problem!"

* * *

><p>David moved quickly once he entered the warehouse. He knew that he had to move fast if he was going to get everything that he needed before the cops showed up. He needed to get all of the C4 the warehouse had loaded into the truck, as well as some electronics and wiring to go with it. The only thing slowing him down was that he had incompetent teens to help him.<p>

David simply hoped that The Dealer had been right and that he _would_ be able to get this done before the cops, or the Arrow, showed up.

* * *

><p>"What's wrong Detective?" Oliver asked, already standing and moving to the door.<p>

"Someone's broken into a warehouse in the Glades." Lance explained as Oliver, Felicity, Sara, and Roy all gathered around him.

"That happens all the time, what's the big deal with this one?" Sara asked curiously, even as she put her leather jacket on.

"The guy who broke in." Lance explained. "His name is David Wilson and he's a master bomb maker."

At that comment Oliver, Sara, and Roy ran for the SUV parked outside.

"They'll go suit up and meet you there." Felicity said quickly as she and Lance followed the Team out the door.

"Don't worry mom, they'll be fine." Thea said to her mom who looked shocked at how quickly things had changed from a nice dinner to half the guests running out the door.

* * *

><p>Once in the SUV the Team began working on their plan.<p>

"Roy, call Diggle and have him meet us at the lair." Oliver instructed as he expertly maneuvered the vehicle around traffic on the way to Verdant.

"Felicity, see what you can find out about the warehouse, and the man breaking into it." Oliver said to Felicity as she began to search for information on her tablet.

"Oliver, Dad said this man's name was David Wilson." Sara said cautiously. "You don't think he's any relation to..."

"I don't know Sara, but if he is we have to be extra careful!"

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><p><strong>AN: Well, there were a couple of interesting points this chapter weren't there?! Please tell me what you thought in a review! Thanks!<strong>


	19. Chapter 19: The Warehouse

**AN: Thank you all for the continual, amazing support! The number of favorites, follows, and reviews is stunning, and very much appreciated!**

**Mic RiddyBanon is again my wonderful beta, friend, and constant support! My writing would not be what it is without her!**

**A quick note on the frequency of updates. I am aware that I am not updating as often as I was in the beginning. I apologize for that, however, it does take a good deal of time and effort to put a chapter together so please be patient with me and understand that I post chapters just as soon as I finish them. Real life tends to get in the way of that sometimes!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Arrow, except the plot in this story which isn't even 100% mine as WolfOfHiddenMoons was kind enough to help with the plot idea. All things Arrow belong to the CW.**

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><p><em>Once in the SUV the Team began working on their plan.<em>

_"Roy, call Diggle and have him meet us at the lair." Oliver instructed as he expertly maneuvered the vehicle around traffic on the way to Verdant._

_"Felicity, see what you can find out about the warehouse, and the man breaking into it." Oliver said to Felicity as she began to search for information on her tablet._

_"Oliver, Dad said this man's name was David Wilson." Sara said cautiously. "You don't think he's any relation to..."_

_"I don't know Sara, but if he is we have to be extra careful!"_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19 - The Warehouse<strong>

Oliver, Roy, and Sara ran down the stairs to the lair with Felicity close behind. As Oliver flew over the last few steps he started to talk to Diggle who had beat them there.

"What do you have Digg?" Oliver asked as he grabbed his suit from the case in order to change and get out on the streets as quickly as possible.

"We have three targets." Diggle explained as he finished readying his weapons for the mission that was about to start. "One of them is a David Wilson. He's been on the SCPD radar for several years after he blew up a high school five years ago. He's working with two teenagers. The security footage shows them just starting to load stuff into a large black van. If we want to catch them before they get too far then we have to get moving!"

"Felicity..." Oliver started to give instructions before his fiancé cut him off.

"I'm pulling up all of the security feeds from the warehouse." Felicity told the Team. "I'll also work up what I can on the three targets." She explained as she was already typing furiously at her computers.

"Roy, there's one last present for you in the garage." Oliver commented as he tossed Roy, who was now fully suited up as well, a set of keys before he moved quickly to the stairs and his waiting bike. "Try not to crash it!"

"Oliver!" Felicity called as she turned to watch the Team run up the stairs. "I love you! Come back to me!"

Oliver turned briefly, long enough for Felicity to see that he heard her and to smile, letting her know that he would _always_ come back to her.

"You got me my own Ducati?" Roy asked as Sara and Oliver mounted two of the now three bikes in their hidden garage. "Awesome!"

"Let's go kid!" Oliver said as he gunned his own bike and peeled out of the alley, heading to the warehouse at top speed.

* * *

><p>"What do we have officer?" Lance asked as soon as he stepped out of his vehicle. It felt good being able to ask questions and investigate again.<p>

"There are three targets inside." The officer told Lance.

"Why haven't we gone in yet?" Lance demanded. There was no good reason to _not_ go in unless there was either an explosive device, or hostages.

"They're holding three security guards hostage." The office informed him. "There is nothing we can do until a negotiator gets here. The one in charge has threatened to kill them if SCPD goes in."

"Well luckily we won't have to." Lance told the young officer. He heard the familiar sounds of Oliver's and Sara's bikes coming down the road and knew that they would soon have the help that they needed.

"What do you mean?" The officer asked him.

"The Arrow is going to help us out on this one." Lance said with a smile as he saw not two, but three bikes come into view. He briefly wondered how the Team had made it here so quickly, even with a stop at the lair, before realizing that that would be a mystery he would probably never solve.

"The Arrow? Aren't we supposed to arrest him if we can catch him?" The officer asked.

"No Officer, we are now working with the Arrow and his Team. Detective Lance will coordinate with them from now on." The Police Chief said as he walked up beside the other two. He had come to the scene as soon as he heard what was going on as he had suspected that the Arrow would show up. Hewanted to make sure that the first case the SCPD and the Arrow worked together, willingly, went smoothly and that he hadn't made a mistake in calling off the hunt for the man in green. He turned as three motorcycles came skidding to a stop a few feet from them.

"What do we have Detective?" Oliver asked, his voice changer on to mask his true identity.

"Who are you?" The officer asked, pointing to Sara and Roy who stood on either side of him.

"This is the Arrow, the Black Canary, and..." Detective Lance introduced quickly as he pointed to Oliver and then Sara. However, he didn't know what name Roy was going by so was hesitant when he got to the younger man.

"Arsenal." Oliver said quickly before asking again about what the officers knew.

"There are three targets and three hostages inside. All three hostages are security guards." Detective Lance explained. _**  
><strong>_

"Location?" Sara asked, anxious to get to work.

"Unknown." The Detective told the Team. Oliver shook his head once before turning to his team.

"Canary, go in from the east. Arsenal, take the west entrance. I'll take the roof." Oliver instructed before turning to loose a grappling arrow to the tallest point on the building, quickly being pulled up to the roof as the rest of his Team moved into place. "Diggle take the back entrance." Oliver instructed as he reached the top of the roof. "Felicity, do you have anything for us?" Oliver asked as he moved quickly to a skylight that showed the center of the warehouse.

"It looks like the hostages are in an office in the back east corner." Felicity said quickly. "You know, I'm going to need a code name too. I mean you're the Arrow, Sara is the Black Canary, Roy is the Arsenal. If you guys are going to talk to me over the radio in front of people I'm going to need a nickname and so is Diggle too." Felicity said quickly as she sifted through the security feeds in the building.

"Felicity!" Oliver called, quickly putting a stop to Felicity's rambling.

"Right. Sorry."

"Can you cut the power to the building?" Sara asked, noticing that all the lights were on in the building making a stealth approach more difficult.

"Yup..." Felicity said with a pop. "In three, two, one."

The whole building went dark suddenly and the Team quickly made their entrance. Diggle and Sara moving to free the hostages as they were closestto them, and Roy and Oliver moving to find, and take down, the three targets.

* * *

><p>"Do you really think this was a good idea?" The officer asked as he watched the Arrow and team move towards the building. He had always disliked the Arrow seeing as the vigilante worked outside the law. He was not a fan of the SCPD now openly working with the Arrow and his team.<p>

"Would you rather go in there and face them while they are holdingthree hostages?" Lance asked the younger manas they watched the Arrow land gracefully on the roof of the warehouse.

"No, but that doesn't mean he should either." The officer argued as he pointed towards where the Arrow had landed.

"Let's just see how this plays out before we start making decisions on whether or not this was the right call, okay?!" The Captain said as he watched Arsenal run to a side entrance of the building.

"Woah, what just happened?" The officer asked as all the lights in the building suddenly went off. They could no longer see anything in or around the warehouse.

"It was probably Team Arrow." Lance commented reassuringly as he knew that it was probably Felicity that had killed the lights, making it easier for the Team to enter the building.

"Team Arrow?" The Captain asked curiously.

"You got a better name for them?" Lance asked as he turned to smile at the Captain.

"Not yet."

* * *

><p>"Hurry up!" David yelled at the teens who were moving incredibly slowly. "We have to get out of here, now!"<p>

Suddenly all the lights in the building went out, leaving them in complete darkness, just seconds before the skylight above them shattered. It was then that David knew they had been too slow and the Arrow had arrived. He quickly turned to make his escape, however that was not meant to be.

"David Wilson! Stop!" A deep voice growled from directly behind him. He turned slowly as he raised his weapon, ready to shoot.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Roy almost whispered, menacingly, from right beside David.

David looked towards the voice beside him and saw a man dressed in a deep red outfit, with an arrow nocked and ready to fire at him. Looking in front of him he saw another man in a similar suit, just deep green, also aiming an arrow at him.

"The hostages are safe." Diggle said over the comms.

"I have the two teens as well." Sara added. "They didn't put up much of a fight." Sara had found the two teens on her way to find the hostages and had easily taken them out with a couple of well-aimed hits from her bo staff.

"Put down your weapon David. We already have your accomplices in custody and the hostages have been freed." Oliver told the man, hoping that he would actually listen to him.

David knew there was little chance he was going to make it out of here without a fight. _It's a good thing I never stand down from a fight._ He thought as he raised his hands over his head, weapon still in hand.

Roy lowered his bow and stepped towards David to take his weapon when suddenly the man lowered the gun again and fired at him. Roy saw the move just in time to duck out of the way, however, he still felt the sharp sting of a bullet in his left arm.

Oliver watched as David raised his arms, like he was surrendering. However, in a split second the man had lowered his weapon. Oliver knew he was going to open fire on Roy and loosed his arrow just as the man fired. His arrow knocked the weapon out of the man's hand and Oliver immediately nocked and loosed a second arrow, pinning the man to a pillar just behind him.

"Roy?" Oliver asked just after loosing the second arrow.

"I'm fine." Roy reassured his Team. "Just a graze."

"Guys?" Felicity asked over the comms, needing to know if her Team was safe as she had heard the gunshots.

"We are all okay Felicity. Handing over the men to the SCPD then we are on our way back." Oliver commented, nodding to Diggle to go ahead and head back as they could easily deliver the men to the police right outside.

Oliver and Sara moved to cuff David as Roy kept an arrow aimed at the man, ready to shoot him if he tried anything. Oliver, however, took an extra measure to make sure the man wouldn't try and harm any of them and placed a well-aimed hit to the man's jaw, dazing him and letting him know that there was no way he could escape at the same time.

* * *

><p>It was less than two minutes after Team Arrow entered the building that Lance saw the hostages running around from the back of the warehouse. It was only a couple of minutes after that that Team Arrow exited the warehouse as well, each leading a cuffed man.<p>

"Well that was fast." The Chief of Police commented. He was surprised that less than five minutes after the Arrow and his team had arrived the situation was resolved - and with no injuries to the hostages. _**  
><strong>_

"The hostages have all been freed, unharmed. Here are your three perpetrators." The Arrow informed them as officers led the three cuffed men to squad cars.

"Thank you." Detective Lance told the Arrow, sincerity clear in his voice.

"Anytime Detective." Oliver commented as he turned to follow his Team back to their bikes.

"How can we reach you the next time we need your help?" The Chief asked as he watched the three people in leather walk away.

"Detective Lance knows how to reach me." The Arrow told him before peeling away on his motorcycle, the rest of his team following.

"Well, sir." Lance said with a smile as he turned to the Chief of Police. "Do you think we made the right decision?"

"I think that crime in Starling City is going to go down even more, now that we have the Arrow on our side." The Chief commented.

"He's always been on our side, sir." _**  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you all for reading. Please let me know what you thought in a review! Thanks!<strong>

**P.S.: Just a heads up, some great things are about to happen in Real Life for me... That being said, there is a very good chance you won't see another chapter from me for several days. That does _not _mean I have forgotten about you. I will explain when I can :) Thank you all for being understanding!**


	20. Chapter 20: Injury

**AN: Thank you ALL for your amazing support and encouragement.**

**Mic RiddyBanon, I owe you continual thanks for your help with my fics, mainly helping find all my mistakes and fix them.**

**I know I said it would take longer to get a chapter out, and I apologize for the slight delay, but (and here's my real life news) I've been distracted as my hubby just recently got back from a deployment. Thank you for your patience.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately I still do not own Arrow. It belongs to the CW.**

* * *

><p><em>"Well, sir." Lance said with a smile as he turned to the Chief of Police. "Do you think we made the right decision?"<em>

_"I think that crime in Starling City is going to go down even more, now that we have the Arrow on our side." The Chief commented._

_"He's always been on our side, sir."_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20 - Injury<strong>

As Roy, Oliver, Sara, and Diggle descended the stairs to the lair once again Roy could feel the aches in every part of his body. It hadn't been all that long ago that he had had his ass handed to him by his Dad and then tonight the graze from the bullet just brought the aches and pains back to the forefront of his mind. He took stock of everything that hurt and then determined to shove all the pain back into a box and lock it away. The Team had work to do and he didn't have time to be distracted.

"Felicity, we need to find out what those guys were trying to steal from the warehouse." Oliver told his fiancé as he walked over and put his bow back in his case.

"I'm already on it." Felicity said with a smile directed towards Oliver. "I've already talked to Detective Lance and he's going to give us the information just as soon as they have it."

"Good." Oliver said with a smile as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "What do we have on the thieves?"

Felicity went into a description of the two teens who had just recently gotten out of Juvie for breaking and entering, and assault charges. They weren't any real threat as long as they weren't allowed back on the street where they could get into trouble again. They would probably be spending several months back in the system to keep them out of trouble.

As Oliver and Felicity were talking, Diggle went to grab a few medical supplies, knowing that they would need to at least clean the bullet graze on Roy's arm. They all paid close attention to the information that Felicity was passing along as they waited for the phone call from Lance, but Diggle knew that he could perform his medic duties at the same time.

"Roy." Diggle called to the younger teammate. When the younger man met his eyes he motioned to the medical table. "Let me see that graze."

Roy lifted himself onto the table and started to carefully peel his leather jacket off so that Diggle could see the graze in his arm.

"Roy, that is _not_ a graze." Diggle said to the younger man as the wound on Roy's arm became visible. A graze would have only required cleaning and maybe a bandage. No, this was a deep flesh wound.

"What's wrong John?" Sara asked as she turned to see what was going on with the guys.

Diggle's tone of voice also drew the attention of Oliver and Felicity as well as they both turned to the men and Oliver walked to the medical table.

"Roy?" Oliver asked questioningly. "Why did you tell us it was just a graze? That is a deep flesh wound and will need stitches."

"It's not that bad guys." Roy argued, not wanting to make a big deal out of it.

"Half an inch to the left and I'd be digging a bullet out of your arm." Diggle commented as he set to work cleaning the wound.

"I honestly didn't think it was that bad." Roy said sincerely. It wasn't that he was trying to keep things from the Team. He had truly not realized how bad it was until he got his jacket off.

"It's okay Roy." Oliver said calmly as he placed a hand gently on Roy's right shoulder. "I know it can be challenging to know just how bad a wound is until you get to really looking at it, especially with adrenaline blocking the pain. Just make sure, whenever you _do_ know it's worse, that you actually tell us okay."

"Yeah." Roy said quietly. He understood what Oliver was saying and, as much as he didn't want to worry the Team, he realized how important honesty was when dealing with injuries.

Thankfully, before the Team could discuss the issue much further Felicity's computers beeped and Oliver, Felicity, and Sara all gathered around the computers to see what had been found.

"You know that no one's mad at you right?" Diggle asked as he started put the stitches in. "We're just looking out for you."

"Yeah, I know." Roy answered. "I hate that I'm worrying you guys."

"You're not worrying us by telling us how bad you're hurt." Diggle told him. "You're being honest with your Teammates and letting them know if, and how, your injuries will affect your ability to keep going. If you had a bullet in your arm Oliver wouldn't expect you to rappel your way down a building. Just like if _he_ had a bullet in his arm he would compensate and change his plan accordingly as well. We all have to know how best to keep going as a Team and we can only do that if we know what each person is capable of in a given situation."

* * *

><p>Diggle and Roy were silent as Diggle finished putting in the stitches and Roy heaved a sigh of relief when it was done. Just as Roy was pulling his jacket back on Oliver's phone rang.<p>

"Detective." Oliver answered, ready for an update from the SCPD. Felicity put his phone on speaker so the whole Team could hear the discussion.

"I have some information for you." Lance told the Arrow. This was the first chance he really had to use his position as liaison and he was excited to be openly talking to Team Arrow in front of his superiors.

"What do you have Detective." Oliver asked, aware that Lance was calling form the Precinct as he could hear the other officers talking in the background.

"First thing, and most important is that David Wilson escaped from the squad car on the way to the Precinct. We have officers looking for him, but I figured your Team could work your magic as well and try and help us find him." Lance started by explaining.

Felicity immediately started pulling up traffic camera feeds from the time the Team left the warehouse and started looking for where David Wilson could have gone.

"What else?" Oliver asked as he watched Felicity work.

"We figured out what he was after." Lance continued to explain. He had not been at all surprised at what they had been stealing, considering the man that they had arrested.

"What is it Detective?" Oliver asked, getting slightly frustrated at how hesitant Lance was to divulge the information.

"Enough C4 to blow up the Starling City Theater, and there's a concert being held there tonight."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you yet again for reading another chapter! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think.<strong>


	21. Chapter 21: Planning

**AN: Here we are... another chapter. I sinceriously hope you all continue to enjoy it as much as you have so far! Thank you so very much for your continued encouragement and support in the form of favorites, follows, and reviews.**

**Mic RiddyBannon, my wonderful Beta. Thank you yet again!**

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Arrow... It belongs to the CW.**

* * *

><p><em>"We figured out what he was after." Lance continued to explain. He had not been at all surprised at what they had been stealing, considering the man that they had arrested.<em>

_"What is it Detective?" Oliver asked, getting slightly frustrated at how hesitant Lance was to divulge the information._

_"Enough C4 to blow up the Starling City Theater, and there's a concert being held there tonight."_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 21 – Planning<strong>

Everyone in the lair froze and stared at each other for a moment. Each person knew what would have happened if David Wilson had gotten away with that much C4. The Theater would have been leveled, with everyone still inside.

"Detective, what time does the concert start?" Oliver asked, already working on a plan.

"Seven thirty tonight." Lance answered, curious as to what Team Arrow would be planning.

"We need to co-ordinate a plan of attack for this and we could really use your help and that of your Team, Arrow." The Chief of Police commented. He had been listening in to the conversation easily as Detective Lance had the conversation on speaker phone in his office. "If we are to work together then we need to know what you're planning."_**  
><strong>_

"I will call you again in three hours Detective." Oliver told Lance. "We will discuss our plan then." Oliver then hung up the phone, effectively ending the conversation.

"What do you have in mind?" Sara asked as she and the Team stood gathered around Felicity's computers.

"I don't know yet. That's why I told him I'd call back in three hours." Oliver admitted. _**  
><strong>_

"I'll start pulling up the schematics for the Theater." Felicity told the Team, her fingers already flying over her keyboard.

"Can you also run a search and find out where else he could get the C4?" Oliver asked. "I need to know if he can still get that amount in time to build a bomb for the concert."

"What can we do to help?" Roy asked, ready to do something useful.

"Everyone grab a couple of hours of sleep." Oliver instructed. "We need to be at the top of our game tonight."

Oliver pulled a chair up and sat next to Felicity. He knew that there was no way he would be getting any sleep now, and he suspected that even though he told his Team to get some rest that it would not be happening anytime soon. His thoughts were confirmed as he watched Sara and Roy move to the mats and begin sparring and Diggle moved to his armory and begin meticulously cleaning his weapons. He turned his attention back to the monitors in front of him.

"Here are the plans for the Theater." Felicity said as she pulled up the documents on the screen right in front of Oliver. "I figured you could start working on those while I try and find anything that will help."

"Thanks Felicity." Oliver commented sincerely. He still to this day could not figure out how he and Diggle had managed things before Felicity came into the Team - and into their lives. _**  
><strong>_

His smile grew again as he noticed a small countdown clock appear in the top corner of all the monitors in the room. This would allow them to keep track of how much time remained before the concert started. They officially had seventeen and a half hours to put together and execute a plan to keep those attending the concert safe.

* * *

><p>"Did the Arrow just hang up on us?" The Chief of Police asked Detective Lance.<p>

"Yes." Lance answered with a hint of a smile. The fact that Oliver had hung up on them had not surprised him in the least. "He has work to do."

"Yeah, well so do we." The Chief growled as he turned to look out the office window to the sleeping city outside. "How are we supposed to work together, come up with a plan of attack, when the man won't even talk to us?"

"The only reason he didn't stay on the phone and work out a plan is because he needs to know what we are all looking at before the thought of a plan even begins. We never start talking plan of attack on any raid until we know what we are potentially walking into." Lance argued, hoping he could calm the Chief down enough to give Oliver and his Team a chance. "He's probably looking over the schematics for the Theater right now trying to figure out if and where a device could be placed and the best way to approach it. He also probably has his Team looking for other places that Wilson could find that much C4, something we should already be doing."

The Chief of Police turned to look at Lance with chagrin. The Detective was right, on all counts, and he couldn't believe he had allowed his irritation to cloud his judgment.

"You're right." The Chief finally said. "Get someone searching to see where Wilson could find that much C4 in case he still plans on making that bomb. Where are we on finding him?"

"We have a BOLO out, but nobody has seen him yet." Lace explained, happy to see that the Chief finally had his head back in the game. "We're still looking and so is the Arrow and his Team."

"Let me know as soon as _anyone_ finds anything." The Chief instructed.

Lance turned to leave the office, looking back at the Chief just before he exited the room.

"He'll call us back as soon as he has a plan." Lance told the Chief. "He wouldn't screw this up, just like we should try hard not to. This partnership is too valuable to the City to mess up!"

* * *

><p>David Wilson walked back into the warehouse infuriated.<p>

"You set me up!" David bellowed as the Dealer came into sight. "You _knew _those kids were too stupid to pull this off. Why did you even call me in here if you didn't want me to succeed? Did you want me to get arrested? What would you have done if I hadn't escaped?"

"I wanted to get the attention of the Arrow and his Team." Roy Sr. commented as he spun in his chair to face the angry man before him, his hands tented in front of him at the fingertips. "We have done that very effectively. I also needed to know how many people worked with the Arrow. That was also confirmed as we now know he has a Team of at least three people if not more. Don't worry, you can still find the C4 that you need if you still choose to do so. Or, you can assist me in moving forward with the preparations in the other warehouse."

"Revenge." David whispered, a glint of anticipation now evident in his eyes.

"Yes. Revenge!"

* * *

><p>It had been two hours since they got the call from Detective Lance. The Team was tired but no one went home as they all knew that there were a <em>lot<em> of lives at stake if they didn't figure out David Wilson's next move.

Oliver stood from his place next to Felicity and walked around the lair, stretching his legs. It was still early, only four thirty in the morning, and they still had a long day ahead of them. As Oliver looked around he saw Roy sleeping on the cot, thankfully. Sara was curled up in a chair in the corner getting some rest, even though Oliver could tell she was not fully asleep. Diggle had been sitting next to him going over the schematics for the Theater and working on a plan. They had one hour left before it was time to call Detective Lance and they were almost ready.

"Felicity, can you pull up the buildings surrounding the Theater?" Diggle asked as he stretched in his chair.

"Sure." Felicity answered as the pictures and maps popped up on his monitor.

"Digg?" Oliver asked as he walked back over to the computer they had been working on.

"Well, we already know the key places that a bomb would be placed." Diggle commented. "We can easily sweep the building before the concert to ensure that there isn't one already there. Once people start arriving the SCPD should be able to handle security on the ground. We can easily take up positions on the buildings surrounding the Theater to keep watch and be available should anything start to go down."

"I'll be monitoring all the cameras and looking for anything suspicious." Felicity commented as she took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes, trying to clear the sleep from them. "I was also thinking that it might be a good idea to give Detective Lance an earpiece so that he can communicate with us throughout the evening."

"Great idea Felicity." Oliver said with a smile as he placed a hand gently on her shoulder. He could tell that she was exhausted and he knew they would all need to take a break and get some food and sleep before the mission tonight.

Sara and Roy both rose from where they were resting and sleeping just as Oliver and Diggle began to discuss where the Team would pace themselves for the evening. They all gathered around the Computer monitor and discussed the pros and cons of each position and ironed out the remaining details.

The Team finally finished their planning two minutes before Oliver was due to call Detective Lance back.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, I hope you still like it :) I can't wait to see what you all think so please leave me a review to let me know!<strong>


	22. Chapter 22: Rendezvous

**AN: Thank you one and all for your continual, amazing, wonderful support! The constant encouragement keeps me motivated to provide you with more chapters faster :)**

**Mic RiddyBanon, thank you for being such a great beta and friend!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I still don't own Arrow. Sigh!**

* * *

><p><em>Sara and Roy both rose from where they were resting and sleeping just as Oliver and Diggle began to discuss where the Team would place themselves for the evening. They all gathered around the Computer monitor and discussed the pros and cons of each position and ironed out the remaining details.<em>

_The Team finally finished their planning two minutes before Oliver was due to call Detective Lance back._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 22 - Rendezvous <strong>

Detective Lance walked into the Chief's office with a steaming cup of coffee five minutes before they were expecting to hear from Team Arrow. Lance was giddy now that they could openly work together and he hoped that the Chief would see how valuable this partnership was by the end of this case. Right now it seemed like the Chief wasn't too happy with the Arrow and Lance knew that the only way Oliver could gain the man's trust was to bring this guy down before anyone got hurt.

"Detective, any word from the Arrow?" The Chief of Police asked as Lance entered his office.

"Not yet." Lance answered as he took a seat in one of the two chairs in front of the man's desk.

"Will we actually hear from him?" The Chief asked skeptically.

Just as Lance was about to answer the Chief his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and gave the Chief a pointed look as he answered the phone and put it on speaker.

"Detective Lance."

"Detective, we have a plan. Meet me at the normal rendezvous point." The Arrow instructed.

"We can be there in ten minutes." Lance commented, both for the Arrow's benefit as well as that of the Chief sitting in front of him. The Arrow hung up before either man had a chance to say anything else.

"Is he always that rude?" The Chief asked as he stood and grabbed his jacket.

"No, not rude." Lance answered as the two men walked out of the office together. "Just to the point. There's no reason to waste time on pleasantries when the city is in danger."

"Well, we'll see. Right now I just want to bring this guy in without any bloodshed."

"So does he sir, so does he." Lance commented as the two men got into the Chief's car and headed to meet the Arrow and his Team.

* * *

><p>Oliver hung up the phone and turned to his Team. He noted that Roy was strapping on his quiver, Sara was adjusting her blonde wig, and Diggle was holstering his weapon. Apparently his Team was ready for action. He smiled as he realized that they were always ready to help protect the city. He never had to ask.<p>

"Take this with you." Felicity told Oliver as she handed him a tablet. "You break it and I'll hurt you. Just so you know. It has a military grade case on it so you _shouldn't _be able to break it, but please don't try. I've uploaded all the documents that you will need to it. I also have remote access so if you need anything else, or I find anything, I can send it straight to you. Here is a flash drive with the information as well. Give it to Detective Lance so the SCPD will have a copy of what you have there. Oh, and Oliver, I love you!" Felicity finally stopped long enough to take in a deep breath and smile.

"I love you too Felicity." Oliver said as he leaned down and gave the blonde a gentle kiss. "We'll be back soon."

* * *

><p>Lance and the Chief pulled up to the building where they were to meet the Arrow in silence. Lance was still excited to actually be able to work with the Arrow and not get in trouble for it. He was also anxious for the Chief to see just what Team Arrow could do and how well they work together as a unit.<p>

"Are you sure this is the right place?" The Chief asked curiously.

I'm sure." Lance answered encouragingly as he walked to the stairs that led to the roof.

"How long are we going to have to wait for him to show up?" The Chief asked, slightly winded from walking up several flights of stairs.

"He's probably already here." Lance answered as they reached the landing that marked the halfway point of their climb.

* * *

><p>Oliver, Sara, and Roy quickly made their way to where they were to meet Detective Lance on their bikes, followed closely by Diggle in the SUV.<p>

"Sara, Roy, you're with me." Oliver instructed as they neared the building. "Diggle, you're on overwatch."

"Copy." Diggle quickly replied as he parked the vehicle on the street, quickly getting out and making his way to the roof of the building next door that would allow a good view of the street in three directions around the building, as well as a bird's eye view of the roof where they were to meet with Detective Lance and the Chief.

The rest of the Team quickly made their way to the roof where they were to have the meeting and waited patiently as they watched the sleeping city.

* * *

><p>Detective Lance and the Chief finally made it to the top of the stairs and the Chief had to stop for a moment to catch his breath. <em>He's obviously not used to being in the field so much.<em> Lance thought as he waited impatiently. Finally the other man stood and nodded. They both turned and walked through the door that gained them access to the roof.

When the Chief of the Starling City Police Department first stepped on the roof he only saw the Arrow, standing with his back to the door. He wasn't even sure the man had heard them arrive. However, he quickly realized that he was wrong as the Arrow turned to them and spoke.

"Hello Detective, Chief." The Arrow greeted them, just as two more people came into view. One person stood on each side of the Arrow. The Black Canary, and the Arsenal, both fully armed. _Does this man go anywhere without his Team to watch his back?_ He thought to himself as Lance moved forward to meet the Arrow in the middle of the roof. He slowly followed, curious as to how things were going to play out this time, and whether or not the Arrow was going to have better manners.

"Arrow." Lance greeted the man in green. "What do you have for us?"

"We have a plan to run by you." The Arrow said as he pulled out what looked like a tablet and handed it to the Chief of Police. "We have isolated the places within the theater that would cause the most damage were an explosive device to be placed there. We suggest a thorough search of each of these locations before anyone arrives to the theater for the concert this evening."

"That's reasonable enough." The Chief commented as he looked at the information on the tablet.

"Then what?" Detective Lance asked curiously, knowing that there was a lot more to Team Arrow's plan.

"We suggest a police presence outside the theater as the guests start to arrive." The Arrow continued to explain as he was careful to keep his face turned into the shadows. "We suggest positioning squad cars at the locations indicated on the map. There should be several officers at each location in the event something happens."

The Chief of Police took his time looking at the map that he had been provided. So far the plan seemed solid, however even the newest cop on the Force could come up with this plan. He wasn't impressed so far.

"I also strongly suggest having several plain clothed officers within the crowd to keep an eye out for anything suspicious." The Arrow continued to explain. "They should be concert goers, concessions workers, even janitorial staff. They need to be placed throughout the facility strategically and remain undetected."

"What if we don't have the manpower for that kind of operation?" The Chief asked. This would take quite a few officers and he wasn't sure he had enough to not only watch the concert but protect the city at the same time.

"I would suggest you find a way to make it work Chief." The Arrow almost growled. "I would hate to see what would happen if an explosion did go off at the concert with the number of people planning to attend."

"What else do you have planned?" Detective Lance asked, trying to ease some of the tension between his boss and the Arrow.

"We will have our tech running facial recognition on everyone that enters the concert. We request that you share all known associates of David Wilson with us to make the search run more smoothly." The Arrow asked.

"How is your tech going to run facial recognition on everyone that enters the building?" The Chief asked curiously.

"They have access to all the security cameras in and around the building as well as all traffic cameras in the area." The Arrow explained, almost smugly.

"How..." The Chief started to ask before Detective Lance interrupted.

"I think we can arrange to get you the needed information." Lance commented as he looked to his boss with a pointed look, awaiting approval. He smiled when the Chief gave a small nod of his head indicating that the information could be shared.

"How can we get it to you?" Lance asked.

"Here is a flash drive with all the information that we have shared with you. You will find an e-mail address on the drive that you can send the information to." The Arrow instructed as he passed the drive in question to Detective Lance.

"And where are you and your Team going to be during this whole thing?" The Chief asked, still curious as to what part the Arrow and his Team would be playing in this whole operation. "How will we be able to contact you?"

"We will provide Detective Lance with a comms unit. He will be able to communicate with us directly." The Arrow explained. "We will deliver it upon commencement of the mission."

"And your Team?" The Chief asked again.

"We will be keeping watch from these buildings surrounding the Theater." The Arrow informed the men as he brought up another map on the tablet. "These positions will allow us to keep a close eye on things all around the buildings and we will have quick and easy access to the Theater itself should anyone, or anything, be spotted. We can breach the building within moments of being alerted."

The Chief took a few extra moments to examine the map indicating the locations where Team Arrow would be posted. Lance glanced over, curious as to what had the man's attention. Finally, however, the man asked the question that was clearly eating at him.

"I've only ever seen you with two other people." The Chief said accusingly as he looked up to the Arrow. "There are four dots on this map. Is there someone else that you haven't introduced us to yet?"

The Arrow smiled, making him look almost more menacing that he already was.

"Yes." The Arrow admitted.

"Don't you think it important that we are familiar with everyone on your Team?" The Chief sounded offended that he had not been told about the rest of the Arrow's Team.

"No." The Arrow answered. "You don't _need_ to meet every person on my Team. All you need to know is that we have each other's backs at all times, and each person on my Team would willingly give their lives to keep the people of Starling City safe without ever thinking twice about it."

"Sir, I think they have proven their dedication to the safety of the City on more than one occasion." Detective Lance commented as he looked from the Arrow to the Chief, noting the stubborn looks on both men's faces.

"Arrow." The Arsenal called quietly to the man in green as he stepped forward and placed a hand on the other man's arm. "Overwatch found something that needs our attention."

The Arrow turned and looked at the younger man in red for a moment before turning back to the Chief to take back the tablet in his hands.

"If you'll excuse us, we have work to do." The Arrow said before quickly turning and following the rest of his Team to the edge of the roof. "We will meet you on the roof of the dance studio across the street from the Theater at dusk."

Before either man could say anything Team Arrow disappeared over the edge of the building. The Chief quickly made his way to the edge of the roof and looked down to the street. He was just in time to see three motorcycles speeding down the street, the riders wearing green, black, and red leather.

"Well?" Detective Lance asked, curious as to what the Chief was thinking.

The Chief of Police looked to the Detective now standing next to him.

"It seems like they thought this out. They identified several key places an explosive would be placed, knew the best places to put uniforms and that plain clothes officers would be needed. They have someone to do IDs on all attendees, and they plan on keeping watch throughout the event. I'm not sure even our task force could have come up with all the logistics like this in the time that the Arrow and his Team have." The Chief answered. "I can honestly say that he impressed me. However, what in the world happened that would call them away like that?"

At that moment the Chief's phone rang. The man answered and spoke briefly with the person on the other end before hanging up and turning to meet the eyes of the Detective next to him.

"Sounds like the Arrow and his Team are stopping an armed robbery three blocks from here." The Chief commented. "Does that man ever rest?"

"No sir." Lance answered honestly, knowing firsthand just how long and hard Team Arrow pushed themselves.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay friends, please leave me a review to let me know what you think of this chapter. We are getting to the intense, action filled, climax of the story and I am curious as to what you all think is going to happen :)<strong>


	23. Chapter 23: Distractions

**AN: Your support and encouragement is amazing! Thank you so much to everyone!**

**Mic RiddyBanon, thank you for always encouraging me and putting up with my crazy, stupid mistakes. Especially recently :)**

**PLEASE KEEP ALL THINGS SPOILER FREE! I HAVE NOT HAD THE PLEASURE OF SEEING THE MOST RECENT EPISODE AS OF WHEN THIS IS POSTED SO PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T SPOIL IT FOR ME OR ANY OF MY READERS WHO HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET! THANK YOU!**

**Disclaimer: I still hold no claim on Arrow as it all belongs to the CW.**

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><p><em>"It seems like they thought this out. They identified several key places an explosive would be placed, knew the best places to put uniforms and that plain clothes officers would be needed. They have someone to do IDs on all attendees, and they plan on keeping watch throughout the event. I'm not sure even our task force could have come up with all the logistics like this in the time that the Arrow and his Team have." The Chief answered. "I can honestly say that he impressed me. However, what in the world happened that would call them away like that?"<em>

_At that moment the Chief's phone rang. The man answered and spoke briefly with the person on the other end before hanging up and turning to meet the eyes of the Detective next to him._

_"Sounds like the Arrow and his Team are stopping an armed robbery three blocks from here." The Chief commented. "Does that man ever rest?"_

_"No sir." Lance answered honestly, knowing firsthand just how long and hard Team Arrow pushed themselves._

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><p><strong>Chapter 23 - Distractions<strong>

Diggle was sitting on the building across from where Oliver and the rest of the Team were meeting with Detective Lance and the Chief of Police. He had been providing overwatch for the Team, keeping an eye on the surrounding areas in case any trouble appeared. It was a good thing he was too, as he noticed a black van pull up to a store a few blocks down the road and three armed men got out. It was just seconds later that he heard Felicity in his ear informing them that the store was being robbed.

"Guys, there's a problem." Diggle spoke into his comms. "There is an armed robbery in progress three blocks from here."

"Got it." Roy responded and he moved to place a hand on Oliver's arm to gain his attention. He knew that Oliver would have heard the brief discussion, however, he also knew that the officers had not. "Arrow. Overwatch found something that needs our attention." He allowed the smallest of smiles as Oliver turned to look at him for a moment, just as Felicity was giving details over the comms to the Team. He knew that he was probably going to get a talking to for calling Diggle Overwatch, however, he knew he couldn't use his real name and that was the first thing that came to mind.

Moments later the Team was on the move. Oliver had quickly grabbed Felicity's tablet, knowing that he would never hear the end of it if he didn't bring it back to her in one piece. He then paused briefly on the edge of the roof to tell the officers where and when the Team would meet up with them tonight, before they quickly made their way down to their bikes and sped off to where the robbery was occurring just three blocks away.

It took the Team of four less than five minutes to find, stop, and tie up the three burglars that were in the store. However, that was not to be the end of things. Just as the Team finished handing over the robbers to the SCPD, Felicity informed them of another robbery at the Big Belly Burger on the other side of town. Oliver and the Team quickly mounted their bikes to head in that direction when yet another robbery was reported at a bank in the opposite direction that they were going. It was as Felicity was passing on the latest news that Oliver realized what was happening.

"Sara, you and Roy go to the robbery at Big Belly Burger. Digg, you and I will head back across town to the bank." Oliver instructed as he whipped his bike around to head in the other direction. "Keep a close eye out guys. I have a bad feeling about this."

"You think we're being played?" Diggle asked as he corrected his course to follow Oliver to the robbery at the bank across town.

"I think someone is trying to keep us busy." Oliver commented as he swerved around a city bus. "Felicity, have you come up with anything on The Dealer or David Wilson?"

"I've been running them through the system, checking their faces against all security cameras and traffic camera feeds and I haven't come up with anything." Felicity commented, even while she was giving directions to each of the robberies in progress. "Do you think either one of them hired people to do their dirty work?" She asked.

"I don't know just yet." Oliver answered as his bike skidded to a stop in front of the bank. "Digg, I'm going in."

"Roger, I'm right behind you." Diggle answered as he quickly parked the SUV and followed his partner inside. _**  
><strong>_

Felicity listened carefully to each Team as they found, apprehended, and handed over the targets to the SCPD when they finally arrived at each of the scenes. Just as she thought the Team could head back to the lair and recharge, two more alerts popped up on her screen. There was another armed robbery in progress, and a hostage situation in a small clinic, still on opposite sides of town.

Felicity spent the next two hours directing the Team from one incident to another. They were kept extremely busy and Felicity couldn't help but wonder where all these criminals had come from. Finally, in the growing light of sunrise, the Team was finally able to go back to the lair. There were no robberies, or alarms, or hostages that needed them at the moment and a weary Team Arrow slowly made their way down the stairs into the basement of Verdant.

"Oliver." Felicity almost whispered as he reached the bottom of the stairs. The Team looked exhausted and Felicity could tell that Oliver was worried. She walked up to him and enveloped him in a tight hug, simply content to hold him for a moment.

"Any news from Lance?" Oliver finally asked as Felicity pulled away from him, allowing him to begin to put his gear away.

"Nothing yet..." Felicity was interrupted by an e-mail alert on her computer. She turned to her screen to see what the message contained and smiled. "I take that back. I just got the information from Lance. I'll add it into my search and hopefully we can get closer to finding out just who David Wilson is, why he's in town, and if he's working for anyone."

"Start your searches and have the alerts sent to your tablet." Oliver instructed as he headed to change. "Then we're heading back to the mansion to try and get some rest before tonight."

"Okay." Felicity managed to say around a huge yawn.

Finally the Team was all ready to leave and they all headed back to the Queen Mansion. Roy had talked to Thea and they knew that Raisa had a nice breakfast waiting for them when they arrived there. The tired Team gratefully sat down to eat before each retiring to their rooms. However, there was little sleep to be had as each Team member found themselves worrying about how things had gone since early that morning, whether the Theater was a trap or not, how they were going to find and take down David Wilson, and, more importantly, Roy's dad the Dealer.

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><p>"What happened last night?" The Chief of Police asked Detective Lance as the other man entered his office.<p>

"What do you mean?" Lance asked as he stifled a yawn. He had been up all night arranging things for security at the concert that evening. Needless to say, he was exhausted.

"I mean that it seems as though our holding cells' population doubled overnight." The Chief explained. _**  
><strong>_

"I don't know." Lance answered. "It's almost like all the criminals came out just for one night." The men sat in contemplative silence for a few moments before Lance decided to voice what he was thinking.

"Did you hear the reports?" Lance asked his superior. "The Arrow and Team beat SCPD to every scene."

"I had heard that. I simply thought it was a rumor." The Chief commented thoughtfully. "It's almost as if they know what's happening before we do. How is that possible?"

"The Arrow has a fantastic Team that he works very closely with. That includes an IT tech. They have access to all security systems, traffic cameras, and I'm sure our Police scanners too. He knows what he's doing and how to get his information. "

"Maybe they should come work for us." The Chief commented to himself referring to the Team Arrow IT tech.

Lame couldn't help but laugh at that comment. He knew that there was nothing on the planet that would draw Felicity away from Team Arrow, or Oliver.

"Sorry Chief, but I don't think you'll ever convince them to work for us." Lance told the other man with a smile.

"A man can try." The Chief commented as he returned the smile. "Go home Detective. See your family and get some rest before tonight. It's going to be another long one." The Chief instructed.

"Yes sir, I'll see you this afternoon." Lance quickly agreed. He left the Chief's office and headed home. He knew the Team probably went to the Queen mansion for some rest and he sincerely hoped that they would all be successful. He too attempted to get some sleep, but it was continually interrupted by thoughts of what could be really going on in his city, how the Team was coping after the very busy night they had had last night, and security plans for that evening. _**  
><strong>_

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><p>The Chief sat in his office staring at the report he had just received. It was a list of incidents, including locations, for every crime that happened early this morning after he had met with Team Arrow. After staring at it for a moment he moved to the map and put a pin in each location. When finished he stepped back and looked at where all Team Arrow had been seen stopping a crime last night. The pins were all over the map.<p>

As the Chief stood and looked at the map, as well as the times for each crime, he realized something. Team Arrow had gone immediately from one crime scene to another from the moment they left the rooftop early this morning until sunrise. The crimes had taken place all over the city, two at a time, in opposite sides of the city. Team Arrow had to be exhausted after a night like last night. He couldn't help but wonder if they were going to be of any real help tonight.

_At least I know they're still dedicated to keeping the city safe._ He thought as he stood to leave the Precinct to get some much needed sleep himself, even if it would only be a few hours. _I still can't believe they beat my officers to _every _scene. It looks like they really do know what they're doing after all. Now let's just see if they can prove it tonight, and see if they can play nice with others.**  
><strong>_

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><p><strong>AN: Again, thank you all for taking the time to read. Please leave me a review, and as a reminder, please keep things spoiler free. I have not seen the latest episode as of yet. Thanks!<strong>


	24. Chapter 24: Preparation

**AN: Thank you to all of my faithful reviewers! You all keep encouraging me on a daily basis and I greatly appreciate it!**

**Mic RiddyBanon, my dear friend an beta. All I can say is that you are remarkable :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow, it belongs to the CW. I just like playing in their sandbox.**

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><p><em>The Chief sat in his office staring at the report he had just received. It was a list of incidents, including locations, for every crime that happened early this morning after he had met with Team Arrow. After staring at it for a moment he moved to the map and put a pin in each location. When finished he stepped back and looked at where all Team Arrow had been seen stopping a crime last night. The pins were all over the map.<em>

_As the Chief stood and looked at the map, as well as the times for each crime, he realized something. Team Arrow had gone immediately from one crime scene to another from the moment they left the rooftop early this morning until sunrise. The crimes had taken place all over the city, two at a time, in opposite sides of the city. Team Arrow had to be exhausted after a night like last night. He couldn't help but wonder if they were going to be of any real help tonight._

At least I know they're still dedicated to keeping the city safe._ He thought as he stood to leave the Precinct to get some much needed sleep himself, even if it would only be a few hours._ I still can't believe they beat my officers to every scene. It looks like they really do know what they're doing after all. Now let's just see if they can prove it tonight, and see if they can play nice with others.

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><p><strong>Chapter 24 - <strong>**Preparation**

The Team really had tried to get some rest, however, it was just not meant to be. Only an hour after they arrived at the mansion, exhausted from a very busy night fighting crime, Felicity's tablet received an alert on one of David Wilson's aliases. Apparently he had just recently rented out a warehouse in the Glades. Sara and Diggle were sent to do some recon while Oliver, Roy, and Felicity looked at a couple of small leads that had come up on The Dealer.

"Apparently he's been out of the country for the last few years." Felicity explained. She was gathered around the dining room table with Oliver, Roy, and Thea as they talked about what she had finally managed to find on Roy's dad. "It looks like he traveled in from Australia. He arrived the day before he found Roy."

"Any leads on where he is or what he's been doing since he's been in town?" Roy asked curiously. They all knew why he was here and they were simply waiting until they could find a glimpse of him somewhere.

"Nothing on paper, however, I have managed to find him on a couple of private security cameras." Felicity explained as she pulled up the images on her tablet. "They aren't very clear but I'm pretty sure that's him."

"Yeah, that's him." Roy confirmed.

Thea tightened her hold on Roy's hand. He was exhausted from all the work that they had done last night. He hadn't told her much about it, but she had been watching the news with her mom and Walter last night and again this morning before the Team came back. She could also tell that having his dad back in town was really wearing on Roy. He had shared with her why he was here but they hadn't seen or heard anything from him since. Except for these images.

"Any idea where he is now?" Thea asked. "Can you find him based off of where those cameras are located?"

"No. They are two separate cameras from two different addresses and they aren't even close to each other." Felicity explained as she showed them the locations on the map.

"It looks like he really knows how to avoid being found." Oliver commented as he stood, placing a hand on Felicity's shoulder for a moment. "Roy, what do you say we go spar for a bit. I know I could use it, especially after last night."

Roy stood and followed Oliver to the basement gym and Thea stayed with Felicity at the table.

"Is he going to be okay?" Thea asked the other woman.

"He's going to be fine." Felicity encouraged. "He's just tired and worried. None of them have been able to get any real sleep and they are worried about tonight. We don't know what, or even if anything is going to happen, and that's keeping them up."

"I wish there was something I could do to help." Thea commented quietly as she looked to the door where the men had just disappeared.

"There may be something." Felicity commented as she smiled. "Do you remember when I showed you how to access security cameras and monitor their feed?" Felicity asked.

"Yeah, why?" Thea asked curiously.

"Because I think you would be the perfect person to start monitoring the Theater." Felicity said as she dragged the younger woman to the room she had been sleeping in. She pulled out a laptop and brought up the necessary programs before handing it over the Thea. "Just let me know if you need help. I'm going to go to the basement and work." Felicity disappeared through the door with a slight bounce in her step and a smile on her face.

"Yeah, sure you are!" Thea teased, knowing that Felicity was going to work more on watching her brother than actually getting any real work done. _She's got a great idea though_. Thea thought as she quickly followed the blonde to the basement, laptop in hand. _**  
><strong>_

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><p>Sara and Diggle descended the stairs to the gym in the Queen Mansion. They had just returned from checking out the warehouse where they thought David Wilson might be hiding out.<p>

"Hey guys, did you find anything?" Felicity asked as soon as she saw them coming down the stairs.

"Nothing." Diggle answered, clearly irritated at the dead end that they had hit. "There had obviously been someone there, but the whole place had been wiped clean. SCPD is processing it now to see if they can come up with anything but we already know that they won't."

"We're thinking that they relocated after the botched robbery. He won't go back there." Sara explained as she walked over to Oliver. "What are you doing?" She asked as she watched Roy hanging from the bar on the Salmon Ladder and noted Thea staring at him with the same look that Felicity usually had when she watched Oliver.

"I'm teaching him how to do the Salmon Ladder." Oliver said with a hint of amusement in his voice and a smile on his face.

"Yeah? How's it going?" Diggle asked as he came to stand with his Teammates at the bottom of the Ladder. They all got their answer as Roy missed the next rung and fell to the floor.

Roy let out a loud groan. He had been working hard to figure this darn Ladder out for the last thirty minutes and he still hadn't gotten more than two rungs up before he would fall. He was getting irritated.

Sara and Diggle laughed as Roy hit the ground. Diggle knew how frustrated the younger man must be. But, he also knew how challenging it was to have enough control to be able to master the Ladder. It was something that he hadn't even tried yet.

Sara reached down to give Roy a hand up off the floor. She then took the bar from him and went to stand at the bottom of the Ladder.

"Here, let me show you what you did wrong." Sara said as she jumped to the first rung.

The Team trained for another hour, Roy finally managing to make it half way up the Ladder, before they decided to take a break and clean up. They spent the rest of the day trying to relax and going over and over the plans for the evening. Thea kept the Team updated on the progress of the SCPD as they began working to secure the building and Oliver was pleased to see that they were going over the potential bomb locations that they had provided with a fine tooth comb. Felicity was also teaching her how to run the facial recognition software that they would be using this evening as Thea would be helping her with that project as well.

Now all they had to do was try and get some rest and wait until it was time to hood up again and head out.

* * *

><p>Detective Lance stood on the roof of the dance studio and looked out over the city. The Chief of Police was due to meet him here any minute and he was expecting to see Oliver shortly after. He had made sure that SCPD had done a thorough search of the Theater, especially where Oliver and Team thought the best place for bombs would be. They had several officers blending in with the crowd and they had placed the squad cars where suggested. He simply hoped this plan worked out well for everyone involved or the Chief may never trust Oliver again.<p>

"Detective." The Chief called to him as he stepped out on the roof. "Any sign of the man in green?"

"Right here." The Arrow called from behind them. "Detective here is your comms unit. You'll be patched in to our secure communication line." The Arrow explained as he passed the Detective a small case with an ear piece inside.

Lance gave a single nod of understanding. He would be hearing everything from the Team firsthand and although the thought was exciting it also had him a bit nervous. They trusted him enough to keep him in the loop via direct communication with the Team. This was a huge step, and one he didn't take lightly.

"Guests are starting to arrive." Lance heard Felicity say over the comms unit he had just placed in his ear. Even though he knew she was a major part of the Team it still surprised him to hear her voice in his ear.

"My Team is moving into position. Let us know if your officers see anything suspicious." The Arrow said mere moments before he fired a grappling arrow and was gone.

"Well, I guess that means we should head to the command post then." Lance commented as he started to walk away. He got the door to the stairs leading down from the roof and stopped as he realized that the Chief was still standing in the middle of the roof. "Chief?"

"They're just standing there, watching over the city." The Chief said and Lance could hear a hint or awe in the man's voice.

Lance walked back over to where the Chief was standing, trying to understand what had caused his boss to be so contemplative.

"I can see them." The Chief said as he looked around. From this position the Chief could see each rooftop where a member of Team Arrow was standing guard over the Theater next door. "Look." He said as he pointed in the direction that the Arrow had just disappeared in.

Lance looked closely and he could see the silhouette of a lone hooded figure, holding a bow as he stood on the edge of the rooftop. He then looked directly across the Theater in front of them and could see another silhouette. This time he could tell that it was Sara, the Canary. Her hair was blowing in the wind and her staff was visible in her hand. He looked to his right and could see a large figure leaning against the edge of the roof looking through a long barreled rifle. He suspected that it was Diggle as he knew the man was good with weapons.

"Where was the last position?" The Chief asked. He was clearly talking about the last position that Team Arrow would be keeping watch from.

Lance was trying to remember exactly where the fourth position was when he heard the faintest of sounds behind them. He turned and smiled. "Here on this roof." He commented to the Chief who also turned at the noise.

The two officers looked up to see the fourth figure, perched on the highest point of the roof just above the stairs. It was Roy, The Arsenal.

"Detective, Sir." Roy greeted the two men with a nod of his head. He looked quite menacing in his red leather with bow in hand.

"Arsenal." The Chief greeted in response.

"I'll be in direct contact if you guys see anything. Our command post is in the office building next door." Lance informed Roy and the Team through the comms unit in his ear. "We will let you know if our officers spot anything as well."

Lance directed the Chief to the stairs. The man seemed reluctant to leave and Lance wasn't sure if it was due to the fact that he was intimidated by the Team, in awe of them, or simply worried about the city tonight. Regardless, they could do nothing more here and needed to get to the command center. Finally the Chief shook himself out of his daze and followed Lance down the stairs and across the street to their temporary office where the Chief moved to stand at the window.

"You know, the people attending the concert tonight couldn't be any safer." Lance commented quietly.

"What makes you say that?" The Chief asked without even turning from his place at the window.

"Because the Arrow and his Team are watching over them." Lance said truthfully. "If I was the one in danger ... well there is no one I would rather have my back." _**  
><strong>_

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><p><strong>AN: Hopefully you liked this chapter. The Muse had been building to the next chapter for a while and hopefully we won't disappoint. Please, let me know what you think of this chapter and what you hope to see in the next one in a review. Thanks.<strong>


	25. Chapter 25: The Concert

**AN: As a special holiday weekend treat... here is the next chapter :)**

**As always, my wonderful beta is Mic RiddyBannon :)**

**Disclaimer: Although I still do not own Arrow I am thoroughly looking forward to the crossover next week!**

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><p><em>"You know, the people attending the concert tonight couldn't be any safer." Lance commented quietly.<em>

_"What makes you say that?" The Chief asked without even turning from his place at the window._

_"Because the Arrow and his Team are watching over them." Lance said truthfully. "If I was the one in danger ... well there is no one I would rather have my back."_

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><p><strong>Chapter 25 - The Concert<strong>

"Okay Thea, are you ready for this?" Felicity asked the younger woman sitting next to her. They were in the lair together ready to monitor things at the concert. The security feeds were open on two of the monitors, Felicity had facial recognition running on the rest of her computers, as well as on a laptop in front of Thea. They were ready, she hoped.

"Yup, bring it on. Here they come!" Thea answered as she watched the first of the concert goers arrive.

Felicity tapped a couple of keys on her computer and the sounds of Oliver talking to the SCPD filled the lair.

"Guests are starting to arrive." Felicity informed the Team. They would all be sure to keep the lines of communication open all evening.

As Oliver and the Team got into position, Felicity and Thea started the daunting task of doing IDs on all the people entering the concert.

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><p>Team Arrow was in position and carefully watching over the Theater in anticipation of something going wrong. Oliver stood on a rooftop that showed one of the two main entrances. He watched, bow in hand, as the crowd entered the building and listened to Felicity and Thea talking quietly as they worked at the computers back in the lair. He also heard the brief discussion between Lance and the Chief and he hoped that it wouldn't be much longer before the Chief truly trusted him and his Team.<p>

Sara stood on a rooftop that allowed her a bird's eye view of the side entrance of the Theater. She stood with bo staff in hand as she observed the workers going in and out of the service entrance. She kept a careful eye out for anything out of the ordinary, anything suspicious. She also listened closely to the chatter on the comms in case the girls at the lair found something important, or her dad and SCPD needed them for anything. She was prepared for what she hoped would be a long, boring night.

Diggle stood watch at the other main entrance of the Theater, on the opposite side of the building from Oliver. He stood staring down the scope of his M24 Sniper Weapon System. He had a silencer on the barrel and a scope that would allow him to see clearly at night. From this position he could easily move to help cover either side entrance if the need arose. He was providing overwatch for the Team, SCPD, and all the concert goers. He hoped his services would _not_ be needed tonight.

Roy stood on the roof on the Dance Studio, bow in hand, and carefully watched the side entrance to the Theater. He could clearly see the small service entrance and was relieved that there was nothing out of the ordinary at the moment. He briefly registered the conversation between Detective Lance and the Chief over the comms, however, he remained more focused on what Thea and Felicity were quietly saying in the lair as they ran IDs on everyone. He looked down and to his left and then right, at the squad cars parked outside the Theater. He was slightly surprised that the SCPD had followed through and done what they had suggested. He hoped that this meant that they would _actually_ be able to work together and Team Arrow would finally be trusted.

The Team watched silently for the better part of three hours as all the concert goers entered the Theater and the concert began. Felicity and Thea had found nothing unusual from the IDs and the SCPD had not reported anything suspicious beyond a kid caught trying to steal a candy bar from the concessions stand. The silence, however, had the entire Team on edge as they were afraid that this was the calm before the storm.

"The concert is ending." Thea informed the Team as the last song was winding down. They had been in full on mission mode since about five that evening when the doors to the concert first opened. It was now nearing midnight and she knew how tired she was from constantly staring at a computer screen. She could only imagine how the guys and Sara felt out in the field. Thankfully though, nothing had happened tonight, and they all breathed a sigh of relief as the Theater started to empty.

Team Arrow's relief was short lived, however, as suddenly there was a small explosion in the office building that housed the SCPD's command post.

"Arrow!" Roy called into the comms as he used a grappling arrow to get to the building.

"On my way. Canary, Overwatch hold your positions until we know what's going on." Oliver ordered into the comms. "Detective are you alright?" He asked as he made his way to the roof of the office building.

"We're fine Arrow, just a small explosion that closed off the entryway into the room. We have to find another way out." Lance informed the Team. He coughed a couple of times as there was a large amount of dust in the room and the sound worried Sara slightly.

"They're on the fifth floor, office in the center facing the Theater. Detective I suggest you move away from the window now." Felicity said. It took mere moments for Oliver and Roy to rappel down the side of the building and crash though the windows. Both men landed in a crouch, bow in hand.

"The Fire Department is two minutes out." Thea informed everyone. The call had gone in immediately and the Starling City Fire Department was already en route.

Roy quickly moved from Oliver's side to check the entrance to the room.

"It's definitely sealed." Roy informed Oliver and the two officers. "We will have to go out through the window."

"Can't you just use one of your explosive arrows to clear the doorway?" The Chief asked irritably. "That's certainly easier than pretending you're Tarzan and swinging out the window."

Felicity laughed out loud in the lair. Calling Oliver's use of grappling arrows a Tarzan move was totally her idea and she was amused that someone else would think the same thing.

"We can't." Oliver said with a hint of a smile as he heard his fiancé's laughter through the comms. "That's a load bearing wall and if we set off another explosion we could bring the building down on top of us and that is something I am _not_ willing to do."

"There's a clear spot on that street corner." Roy commented to Oliver, pointing to the corner in question.

Oliver turned to look to where Roy was pointing. The kid was right, other than going to another roof that was the best option, however, they needed to hurry as they didn't know how badly the building had been compromised.

"Detective, you go with Arsenal. Chief you're with me." Oliver decided as the Chief started to make his way to where Roy and Oliver were standing. Suddenly Oliver tensed just as he heard the sound of a rifle being fired. He pushed the Chief of Police to the floor in order to keep him from potentially being hit. Oliver let out a small grunt as pain flared through his right shoulder. He stumbled a couple of steps before dropping to one knee.

"Arrow!" Felicity called through the comms. She had heard the sound of the gunshot then a small grunt of pain and that had her extremely worried.

"Arrow." Roy said as he placed a hand carefully on Oliver's left shoulder. He could see where a bullet had gone through Oliver's right shoulder and he knew his mentor had to be in a great deal of pain right now.

"Overwatch, there is a sniper watching our position." Oliver said into the comms after taking a brief moment to catch his breath and bring his breathing under control. In all it was only a few seconds after the bullet tore through his shoulder that he moved from his position, pulling the Chief to his feet and pushing him behind a pillar. He watched as Roy did the same with Detective Lance.

"Already on it." Diggle said more to himself than anyone. "Canary, you see anything?"

"Not yet." Sara answered as she scanned the rooftops around the Theater.

"He's above us, to the north." Oliver informed them. He knew that simply from the direction that the bullet had hit him from when he had been standing.

Suddenly more bullets rained down on their position. Bullets sailed into the office continually effectively keeping Roy, Oliver, Lance, and the Chief pinned down.

"Why aren't you doing something?" The Chief asked irritably. "First you push me to the ground, quite forcefully I might add, and then you two just hide behind a pillar while someone shoots at us? What kind of _heroes_ are you?" He spat out as he stared at the man standing on his left.

"Chief." Lance tried to gain the man's attention. He had heard the discussion that the Team was having over the comms but apparently the Chief hadn't even heard Oliver's side of the conversation. However the Chief wasn't listening at all so Lance just tuned him out and focused instead on the chatter over the Team Arrow comms.

"That was his second mistake." Diggle was saying quietly to himself as he heard more shots ring out. A sniper could easily get away with one shot. However, if you miss and have to make another you compromise your position. The sound of the shooters weapon going off was like hanging out a neon sign that told Diggle where he was. He carefully scanned the rooftops in the direction the shots had come from and immediately found the shooter when he took the next shot.

"Canary, muzzle flash, top of Starling City Bank." Diggle informed his Teammate. "About 500 meters from the window where Arrow and Arsenal are."

"On it. Can you get a clean shot?" Sara asked as she started to carefully make her way in the direction of the shooter.

Before anyone could respond there was a second, louder explosion and the office building where Oliver, Roy, Lance, and the Chief were holed up shuddered. Oliver immediately pushed the Chief to the ground and provided the man with the protection of his own body as the floor above them gave way. Roy also moved to protect Detective Lance, neither man in leather ready to allow the officers to get injured.

"Arrow! Arsenal! Can you hear me? Are you okay?" Felicity called into the comms. She had heard the gunfire, then the explosion which had caused the comms units to ring. "Please, talk to me!"

"Arsenal? Are you there?" Thea cried as she locked eyes with Felicity. Both women had tears in their eyes as they had no way of knowing how their men were until someone talked to them. Suddenly they heard a groan and some coughing.

"This is Lance. There was another explosion. The floor above us caved." Lance struggled to move around the debris that had fallen around him. He suddenly stopped moving, however, when the gunfire started up again. "We're still pinned down by that sniper. Overwatch, can you take him out?" Lance asked.

"I have a clear shot." Diggle answered as he slowed his breathing which in turn would steady his aim.

"Take it!" Lance said as he heard a groan next to him where Roy would have landed.

"Roger." Diggle glanced to a flag on the roof opposite the shooter to gauge wind speed. He took a moment to adjust his sights accordingly. "900 meters to target, light northeast wind, low humidity." Diggle was saying to himself as he made split second adjustments to his aim before pulling the trigger.

"Target neutralized." Lance heard over the comms, mere seconds after he told Diggle to take the man out. He quickly pushed the debris off of him and looked around for the young man that had been standing by his side mere moments before the explosion.

Oliver slowly rolled off of the Chief. He had managed to take the brunt of the explosion, saving the Chief from the rain of glass that covered them. Thankfully for him his leather suit had stopped most of the glass from hurting him. After a moment he pulled himself up and pulled the Chief up from his position on the floor.

The Chief gratefully accepted the Arrow's hand as the other man helped him off the ground where the blast had thrown them. He looked up as the Arrow turned to look for Lance and the Arsenal and he noticed what looked like a gunshot wound on the man's right shoulder. _I wonder what happened._ He thought but was not given a chance to ask as the Arrow was suddenly helping the Detective to stand as well.

"Arrow is everyone okay?" Sara asked as she dropped through the shattered window. She had stopped by the bank just long enough to check that the shooter was indeed down before making her way over to check on her Team. She noticed the bullet wound in his shoulder but other than that he seemed to be unharmed. She then looked past him to her dad. He gave her a brief nod to let her know that he was okay as well. "Where's Arsenal?" She asked.

"Over here." Oliver answered. He had heard her come in but had been moving debris around to get to Roy. He had pushed Lance out of the way of some falling debris but had not been able to get out of the way himself.

"Arrow, Arsenal, Canary, can anyone hear me?" Felicity called into the comms. She had no visual on the group in the office building, and she had not heard from Roy or Oliver since the second explosion, and the worry was about to drive her mad.

"Arrow, the Team wants to know your status." Sara commented as she helped Oliver to move a filing cabinet that had fallen over in the blast.

"My comms is out." Oliver commented.

"It's not the only thing." Sara stated under her breath. "Your voice distorter isn't working anymore either." She shared a brief glance with Oliver, knowing that that probably meant the Chief would identify him. However, a groan drew the attention of both of them and they turned to see Roy pinned under a beam. She and Oliver moved to get over to him even as her dad brought the rest of the Team up to date.

Pain shot through Oliver's shoulder as he worked with Sara to clear debris in order to allow them access to where Roy was pinned under a beam that had fallen from the floor above them. He ignored it however as he knew that they needed to free Roy and get out of there as soon as possible. _I don't know how much longer this building will stand._ He thought to himself.

Once they were able to get to Roy, Oliver felt the dread creeping in. Roy was lying face down with a beam across his back. He couldn't tell just yet if the kid was still breathing and he found his mind suddenly filling with memories of seeing Tommy trapped in the rubble of CNRI after the Undertaking. He knew then that he simply _had_ to get Roy out of there, alive!**  
><strong>

"He's still alive." Sara commented as she noticed the subtle movement of Roy drawing in a breath. She breathed a sigh of relief with Oliver as they moved to Roy's side.

Roy slowly opened his eyes. He felt like an elephant was sitting on his back making it hard to breathe. His ribs hurt really bad again and his ears were still ringing from the blast. As he slowly took in his surrounding he saw Oliver and Sara standing above him. He closed his eyes in relief. His Team would get him out.

"We need to get this beam off his back." Oliver stated as knelt down to check Roy's pulse. He noticed Roy's eyes flutter open at his touch. "Don't worry, we're going to get you out of there. Just hang on."

"It looks like part of the beam hit this desk, it's keeping the full weight of the beam off his back. Although I suspect that he'll have a nice bruise where his quiver is." Sara commented.

"Okay, let's lift the beam enough to pull him out. You ready?" Oliver asked as he looked to Sara.

"Let me help." Lance commented as he stepped to where Sara was standing, ready to lift the beam. "He's under there because he was protecting me, let me help."

"Okay, you help Arrow lift and I'll pull him out." Sara instructed as she moved to be able to do just that.

"On three." Oliver commented as he bent to lift the beam, ignoring the protest from his shoulder. "One, two... three."

Lance grunted as he helped Oliver lift the beam. Thankfully they didn't have to lift too much before there was enough room for Sara to pull Roy free. The kid let out a small grunt of pain at the movement but surprisingly lifted himself up off the ground immediately after being freed.

"Arsenal, you good?" Oliver asked as he looked into his young protégé's eyes. Roy simply gave a small nod before turning to look for his bow.

"Looking for this young man?" The Chief asked as he held out Roy's red bow.

"Yes sir, thank you." Roy said quietly, noting that his voice changer had been damaged and was now not working. He also soon realized that his earpiece was busted when he heard Sara talking into the comms, updating the rest of the Team.

"Let's get out of here." Lance commented.

Oliver reached back and pulled out a grappling arrow. He quickly fired it to the building on the only clear corner for two blocks. He anchored the other end and turned to give instructions.

"Canary, you good to take the Detective?" He asked, knowing that Roy probably wouldn't have the strength needed at the moment.

"Yeah, let's go." Sara answered as she turned to her dad. She pulled out a strip of black silk and wrapped it around the wire that would take them to safety. She grabbed her dad and quickly exited the building.

"You next." Oliver turned to Roy and ordered.

"No." Roy argued with a shake of his head. "You get the Chief out of here first. I'll be right behind you."

Oliver and Roy stared at each other for a moment before Oliver reluctantly agreed. The kid was right. They needed to get the Chief out of there before the building gave the rest of the way.

"Sir." Oliver turned to the Chief, offering his hand. The Chief stepped towards him and Oliver quickly grabbed him with his right arm and hooked his bow onto the wire with his left. The two found themselves on the ground moments later. Oliver turned back to the building and could see it starting to shudder again. The building wouldn't hold much longer.

Roy felt the building begin to shake again and had a feeling that it was about to collapse. As soon as Oliver and the Chief were safely on the ground he grabbed one of the metal batons in a pocket on his suit and hooked it over the wire. He would have used his bow like Oliver had, however his was a recurve, not a compound so there was no way to do so. When he was about ten feet from the rest of the Team he felt the wire shake before going completely slack. He quickly let go of one side of the baton and dropped to the ground. He rolled when he hit the ground to keep from landing too hard, however the drop caused his ribs to flare up in pain again and he had to pause for a moment as he knelt on the ground to catch his breath once more.

Once Roy caught his breath he quickly stood and moved to where the rest of his Team was gathered. He gave a brief nod to Oliver and Sara to let them know that he would be fine.

Oliver breathed a sigh of relief when Roy stood and walked towards them. He had seen the wire go slack and had worried that the drop would cause Roy more injuries. However the kid didn't seem to be hurt any more than he been from the explosion. It was as he turned back around to address the two SCPD officers that he noticed the Chief staring at him intently.

"When did you get that?" The Chief asked the Arrow, pointing to his right shoulder.

"Sniper's first shot." Oliver answered honestly before turning to the Detective.

"We can clean up here. Get your Team home and those injuries seen to." Lance told Oliver, knowing that the wound in the young man's shoulder would need tending to, not to mention whatever injuries Roy had. "Thank you for pushing me out of the way back there." Lance said as he reached out to shake Roy's hand.

"Anytime Detective." Roy answered, returning the handshake, before turning to leave with his Team.

"Call us if you need anything." Oliver instructed before he, Sara, and Roy disappeared into the night.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave me a review to let me know! To all my American readers... Happy Thanksgiving!<strong>


	26. Chapter 26: Relief

**AN: Thank you all for the 210 amazing reviews! I love knowing that you enjoy my work and I appreciate you all so much.**

**My amazing beta is still Mic MicciRiddy. Thank you!  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Arrow. However, I am greatly anticipating the amazing crossover event this week!**

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><p><em>"We can clean up here. Get your Team home and those injuries seen to." Lance told Oliver, knowing that the wound in the young man's shoulder would need tending to, not to mention Roy's injuries. "Thank you for pushing me out of the way back there." Lance said as he reached out to shake Roy's hand.<em>

_"Anytime Detective." Roy answered before turning to leave with his Team._

_"Call us if you need anything." Oliver instructed before he, Sara, and Roy disappeared into the night._

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><p><strong>Chapter 26 - Relief<strong>

Sara took the lead on the way back to Verdant. She had spoken briefly with Oliver and they had decided that he would take up the rear in order to keep an eye on Roy. He didn't seem to be injured too badly, however they didn't want him falling off of his Ducati on the street either. She knew he had to be in at least _some_ pain from being pinned under the beam, but he was being as stubborn as Oliver.

Oliver kept a careful eye on Roy as they rode back to Verdant. He knew the kid had to be in pain, as was he. However, they both knew that it would be pointless to make a huge deal of it until they could actually do something about it. If Roy was seriously injured Oliver was certain he would have spoken up. Especially after their discussion over his last injury. Roy seemed to be doing fine at the moment and so was he. He just couldn't wait to get back to Verdant to discuss what had happened out there and make sure his Team was indeed going to be okay.

Roy breathed a sigh of relief when Verdant came into view. He had told the Team that he was fine, but his back hurt pretty bad, especially under his quiver. He couldn't wait to take it off and relieve some of the pressure. As they parked their bikes and dismounted Roy realized that he was suddenly dreading descending the stairs to the lair, and the talking to that he was sure to get from Thea for coming back injured. He stopped just outside their garage for a moment and closed his eyes, taking in a couple of calming breaths.

"Roy?" Oliver asked, noticing that Roy had stopped and was standing with eyes closed. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Roy answered as he opened his eyes to meet the worried faces of his Teammates. "I'm just dreading what Thea's going to say." He told his friends.

"I'm sure she's just going to be happy that you came back." Sara commented, having heard the recent discussion between Felicity and Thea over the comms. She noticed the small smile on Diggle's face as well and knew that he had heard the discussion too. "Come on, let's not keep the women waiting any longer or John and I risk their wrath." She joked as she pulled open the door to the lair.

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><p>"We're on our way back." Felicity heard Diggle say through the comms.<p>

Felicity could not describe the relief that she felt knowing that they were all coming back and in one piece. The explosions had scared her to death and for a space of a few minutes she had the worst feeling ever - that she wouldn't see Oliver alive again. Thankfully Detective Lance had informed the Team that they were all alive and well, well slightly injured, but nothing life threatening. She just couldn't wait for them to get back so she could see for herself. The sound of muffled crying drew her attention to the young woman at her side.

"Thea, it's okay. They're all on the way back." Felicity said comfortingly as she drew Thea into a tight hug.

"I could have lost him today!" Thea cried as Felicity held her.

When Thea had heard the explosion, lost communication with Roy, she had thought that she might have just lost him for forever. Her heart had stopped and there had been an incredible pain in her chest. She could finally breathe again when they were told that everyone was okay, but she still hadn't heard from Roy. Then they had heard that he had been pinned under a beam in the blast and her mind wouldn't stop running through all the possible injuries that he could have. She wanted to hug him close and never let go and curse him out for acting carelessly all at the same time.

"But you didn't!" Felicity said forcefully, pulling back to look Thea in the eyes. "There are _so many_ things that could have happened today, so many worse things, but they didn't! Oliver and Roy are both still _alive_ and they are coming back here, to us!" Felicity took a deep breath and noticed that Thea did the same as she tried to calm down.

"Both Oliver and Roy are injured and they are going to need us to be there for them, to help patch them up again. Because that is what we do, that is _our_ place on this Team. We are here to help them, to guide them through the missions so that they come back to us as whole as can be." Felicity attempted an encouraging smile. "It's never easy, knowing one of them gets hurt and there not being anything we can do to prevent it. What we can do though is be the support that they need. They don't need us to tell them they were careless, or stupid, or cuss them out for getting hurt. They need us to encourage them, and hold them, and take care of them when they're injured."

"So you're saying I can't yell at him for being stupid?" Thea asked somewhat sarcastically.

"No, and you wanna know why?" Felicity answered with a smile.

"Why?"

"Because the only reason Roy got injured was because he was saving someone else. He wasn't being stupid or careless. He was being a hero!" Felicity turned to get the medical table ready for when the Team arrived, leaving Thea to process her own thoughts on the matter.

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><p>Oliver descended the stairs first and switched his bow from his left hand to his right just as Felicity ran to greet him when she saw him. He enveloped her in a one armed hug, thankful he had thought to switch his bow to his injured arm as it helped keep him from being hurt more from her hug. He simply held her for a moment, knowing how worried she would have been with everything that had happened that night.<p>

"It's okay Felicity. I'm here. I'm fine." Oliver whispered into her ear as he held her. After a moment he finally let her go, the pain in his shoulder reminding him that there were things to be done.

When Roy descended the stairs he watched as Felicity ran to Oliver and simply hoped that Thea would not yell at him, just for a moment. She surprised him, however, as she ran to him, just as Felicity had to Oliver, as soon as she caught sight of him. When she was close enough he pulled her into a tight embrace, needing to simply hold her, to enjoy being alive and able to feel her in his arms again. He had been in a situation tonight that had almost kept him from coming home to her. The only thing that had stopped that from happening was the fact that the beam that had him pinned had hit a desk as well as him, keeping the full weight of it off of him. Right now he was simply glad to be alive.

"I love you!" Thea whispered into Roy's chest as she tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over again.

"I love you too Thea!" Roy responded as he pulled her closer, wincing slightly at the pain from the bruise forming on his back.

"Come on you love birds." Sara said with a smile as she watched the two couples embrace. "There are things we need to tend to."

Felicity pulled Oliver over to a stool and Thea directed Roy to the medical table. Both women ready to be of whatever assistance they could be treating the guys' injuries.

Felicity carefully helped Oliver remove his quiver and jacket, revealing the wound in his shoulder.

"What happened?" Felicity asked quietly as she watched Diggle start to clean the wound. She could see that the bullet had gone all the way through his shoulder and she found she was thankful that Diggle wouldn't have to dig anything out of Oliver's shoulder today.

"Sniper." Oliver answered quickly, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder. He focused instead on Roy who was sitting on the med table not far away.

Oliver watched as Thea helped Roy take off his quiver and out of his jacket and shirt. As Roy was sitting with his back to Oliver it was clear to him just how bad the bruising would be as he saw the angry black and blue down his protogé's back. He knew Roy would be in pain for a while and they would have to get some ice on it soon, however it would probably be best to get Roy back to the mansion so he could rest at the same time.

"We'll head home as soon as we are done here and cleaned up." Oliver commented to the Team as they all worked.

Thea winced as she helped Roy out of his shirt. She stepped around behind him to look at his back and could see a dark bruise forming where his quiver usually rested.

"How can I help?" Thea asked as Sara was pulling some things out of the medical supply cabinet.

"We need to assess his ribs and see if any are broken, cracked, or just bruised. Then we'll need to check his spine as well and make sure there is no damage there either." Sara informed Thea. She knew that they needed to give her some medical training for instances like this. _No time like the present. _She thought._  
><em>

"How can you tell that without an x-ray machine?" Thea asked, curious as to how they were going to know how badly Roy was hurt without the equipment.

"By touch." Roy answered for Sara. He had been listening to their conversation and knew that Thea's curiosity would get the best of her. He also knew that this news would cause her to worry for him and he wanted to help alleviate that as soon as possible.

"Won't that hurt you more?" Thea asked as she could only imagine _how much_ that would hurt him.

"A little, yes." Roy answered honestly. "But it's better than blowing our cover, or making up some stupid story as to how it happened." Roy almost laughed as he could imagine the look on Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity's faces at that comment. They weren't very good at cover stories. "Besides, that's how they start assessing injuries to ribs in the hospitals."

"Okay, how do we do it then?" Thea asked as she turned to Sara. She had thought about Roy's words for a moment and decided that he was right, especially as she thought of all of the stupid cover stories that her brother had told over the years.

Oliver watched as Sara carefully instructed Thea on how to assess injuries to ribs before then checking Roy's back. He could tell that the pressure on his bruised ribs and back was causing Roy more pain, but they both also knew how necessary it was. He was pleased to see Sara meet his eyes and give a small nod and smile after she was through assessing Roy's injuries. Oliver then knew that thankfully everything was fine with his young Teammate. Before he knew it, Diggle was done patching up his shoulder as well. He had been so focused on making sure Roy was going to be okay, that he hadn't even realized that his own injuries were now taken care of as well. He blinked and looked over to meet Felicity's eyes.

Felicity had been watching Oliver carefully for the last several minutes. He seemed to have tuned everything out as Diggle patched up his shoulder, however as she looked across to where Sara and Thea were treating Roy she realized that Oliver wasn't daydreaming, he was worrying about Roy. He was so focused on watching Roy to make sure that he was okay that he didn't even realize when Diggle was finished patching up his own shoulder. _He is _always_ more worried about others than he is for himself_. She thought as Oliver finally seemed to come out of his daze and look at her. She smiled at him and placed a gentle hand on his cheek. Her smile deepened when he leaned into her touch and closed his eyes for a moment. _He's exhausted - and so is everyone else._ She realized as she looked at Team Arrow.

"Come on guys, time to get cleaned up and changed." Felicity finally said after a moment. "It's time we all head home for some much needed rest."

No one argued with Felicity. They were all extremely exhausted as none of them had had more than a few hours sleep in the last couple of days. The Team worked together to put all of the gear away, each cleaning up and changing into clean clothes, before leaving for the mansion.

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you all for reading yet another chapter! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think!<strong>


	27. Chapter 27: Unexpected Company

**AN: I want to start by saying THANK YOU! To the 193 Followers, 97 Favorites and 219 Reviews! You all continually stun me with your encouragement and compliments. There simply aren't enough words to describe how thankful I am for your kindness! You are all amazing!**

**I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out. My husband chose to commandeer my computer yesterday so I had a bit of spelling to fix lol. All's good now though so I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Mic RiddyBannon, my constant thanks for your amazing help in every way!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow, If I did a few things would have been a bit different in the mid season finale "The Climb".**

**On that note... please keep things spoiler free for any readers that haven't seen that epic episode yet! Thank You!**

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><p><em>Felicity had been watching Oliver carefully for the last several minutes. He seemed to have tuned everything out as Diggle patched up his shoulder, however as she looked across to where Sara and Thea were treating Roy she realized that Oliver wasn't daydreaming, he was worrying about Roy. He was so focused on watching Roy to make sure that he was okay that he didn't even realize when Diggle was finished patching up his own shoulder. He is always more worried about others than he is for himself. She thought as Oliver finally seemed to come out of his daze and look at her. She smiled at him and placed a gentle hand on his cheek. Her smile deepened when he leaned into her touch and closed his eyes for a moment. He's exhausted - and so is everyone else. She realized as she looked at Team Arrow.<em>

_"Come on guys, time to get cleaned up and changed." Felicity finally said after a moment. "It's time we all head home for some much needed rest."_

_No one argued with Felicity. They were all extremely exhausted as none of them had had more than a few hours sleep in the last couple of days. The Team worked together to put all of the gear away, each cleaning up and changing into clean clothes, before leaving for the mansion._

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><p><strong>Chapter 27 - Unexpected Company<strong>

Diggle look into his rear view mirror and observed the Team as he drove to the Queen Mansion. Oliver and Felicity were whispering quietly to each other, probably about wedding stuff if he was hearing correctly, and he smiled. They were so close to finally tying the knot, twelve days to be exact, and Diggle couldn't wait. He looked further back to the couple sitting in the final row of seats in the SUV. Roy was leaning slightly forward as Thea rubbed the back of his head and neck. He knew that kid had to be pretty sore and they would need to get some ice on his bruises pretty soon. He was relieved that they had all made it through the evening in one piece, even if they were a bit battered and bruised from the events of the night.

Sara smiled as she noticed Diggle watching the couples in the back. She knew what he was thinking, because she was thinking the same thing. Things could have gone terribly wrong tonight, more wrong than they had, but somehow they managed to end the evening alive and that was celebration worthy. As she thought back to the welcome that Oliver and Roy had received upon returning to the lair she realized that she missed Nyssa - terribly! It had only been a few months since she had seen the Assassin, however she still found herself eagerly anticipating seeing her again.

As Diggle pulled through the gates at the Queen Mansion he noticed Sara sit up straighter in the passenger seat.

"What is it?" Diggle asked. She was more alert, but not the anticipating an attack kind, the little kid at Christmas waiting to open presents kind of alert. Oliver must have noticed the change in Sara too as he straightened up and spoke.

"Sara?" Oliver asked. He had seen the change in her when they hit Queen property and needed to know if his suspicions were right.

"She's here." Sara answered simply as she eagerly leaned forward to look out the windshield as the smile grew on her face.

"Would it be faster if you just got out now and met us there?" Diggle asked teasingly as they slowly made their way up the drive. He laughed out loud at the glare he got from the former Assassin next to him.

* * *

><p>Moira and her guest stepped out of the front door of the mansion just as Diggle brought the SUV to a stop. It was an extremely weary Team Arrow that slowly piled out and Moira could see that the last couple of days had taken its toll on the Team as they were all clearly exhausted. She had been watching the news with her guest and knew what had happened just a few short hours before. She quickly went to Thea and Oliver and embraced her children in a tight hug, not missing the fact that her son was injured - again.<p>

"Nyssa." Sara whispered quietly to herself in a bit of relief. She felt happier, lighter, now that her girlfriend was in town. She had been eagerly anticipating her arrival, even though she wasn't expected for another week. She quickly went to the other woman and they came together in a tight embrace.

"Ta-er al-Sahfer." Nyssa whispered to Sara as they embraced. "It is good to see you again!"

"I'm glad you're here." Sara said honestly. She knew that with Nyssa and the League in town their chances of catching the Dealer and David Wilson had just increased.

"I have to leave again tomorrow for business, however, I was near so I wanted to see you before then." Nyssa explained as the Team gathered around.

"Will you be back in time for the wedding?" Felicity asked curiously. After all, she had been extra careful to make sure that Nyssa had received an invitation.

"Yes, I will only be gone for a couple of days before I return for the wedding." Nyssa answered with a smile.

"You have our hospitality until then." Oliver commented as he put his arm around Felicity, as much as a show of affection as it was a way to brace himself and keep his exhausted body from giving way on him without his consent.

"Your Team is a bit battered." Nyssa observed as she noticed Oliver leaning more heavily on Felicity than he normally would, as well as the fact that Roy was about to fall over where he stood.

"It's been a long night." Diggle commented as he reached out and took Roy's weight off of Thea. She had been helping him stay on his feet but the kid's strength was quickly draining and Diggle knew that they had to get their younger teammate inside and taken care of.

"Let's get inside." Oliver commented as he turned to the front door, walking in hand in hand with Felicity. "Digg, take Roy upstairs. I'll get some ice and be up in a bit."

"What is wrong?" Nyssa asked curiously as she watched Diggle take an exhausted Roy up to Thea's room.

"Several bruised ribs, massive bruising down his back." Sara explained. "A beam landed on him in the explosion downtown tonight."

"I might be able to assist with the bruising." Nyssa said thoughtfully as she looked upstairs.

"How?" Oliver asked from behind the women. He had heard the discussion about Roy and was curious as to what Nyssa was thinking.

"Leeches." Nyssa answered as she turned to look at Oliver. She could tell that he was surprised by her answer yet he still hid it behind his well crafted mask of indifference.

"Leeches?" Felicity asked, shocked.

"I was recently in the Scottish Highlands on business." Nyssa explained. "We learned of a way to help with bruising. Bruising is simply blood gathering under the skin after small blood vessels burst from trauma, such as a beam falling on young Roy's back. Leeches can draw out the leaked blood and reduce the swelling in the process, if applied quickly enough."

"Better than ice?" Sara asked. She shouldn't be surprised that Nyssa would have learned of a less than usual way of dealing with injuries. After all, she travels to all end of the earth on League business.

"If applied quickly enough yes." Nyssa confirmed. "However ice will also help with the pain."

"But, where can we get leeches?" Felicity asked the question that they were all thinking.

"My healer is carrying some. You can use our supply." Nyssa said as she turned to an Assassin, quickly issuing instructions in Arabic. The man quickly stepped out, returning just moments later with the needed leeches.

"He's upstairs." Oliver commented, clearly giving his approval for Nyssa to use the less than conventional methods to help Roy. "You go on up and I'll go ahead and grab some ice."

"I'll make him some chamomile tea too." Felicity commented. "What? It will help him sleep, peacefully." She said defensively at the looks from the trained killers around her.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea Felicity." Nyssa said with a smile before turning to go help treat Roy's injuries.

* * *

><p>"I'm not an invalid Digg." Roy complained as Diggle helped him to Thea's room. "I can walk on my own."<p>

"Really?" Diggle asked as he let Roy hold up his own weight for a moment. He shook his head as Roy stumbled for a step before stepping up and guiding him to the bed. "I don't doubt that you can handle yourself. However, you're running on only a couple hours of sleep in the last two days, you've been in an explosion and been pinned under rubble, and I'm willing to bet you're adrenaline is gone too. You're body's exhausted and needs its rest. So let me help you." Diggle said firmly, allowing no room for argument.

"Mr. Diggle, can I have a moment alone with Roy please." Thea timidly asked as Diggle turned from helping Roy sit on the bed.

"Yeah, I'll be back in a minute. I'm going to go see what's keeping Oliver." Diggle answered as he turned to go find his Teammate. He passed Nyssa and Sara on his way down the stairs. Sara stopped just long enough to give him a brief run down of what they were going to do and Diggle simply hoped that it would actually help.

* * *

><p>Oliver was just coming from kitchen with the ice for Roy when the doorbell rang. <em>What now?<em> Oliver thought as he turned to answer the door and he saw Diggle descending the stairs in his peripheral vision.

"Detective Lance." Oliver said in surprise as he opened the door. He had not been expecting the Detective to drop by so soon. "Is something wrong?" Oliver asked as he opened the door wider and invited the man in.

"I came by to see how Roy was doing." Lance answered as he stepped past Oliver and saw Diggle standing in the foyer.

"He's a strong young man Detective." Diggle commented, noting the worry in the other man's voice and eyes. "He's going to be fine."

* * *

><p>"Thea? Are you okay?" Roy asked as she helped him out of his shirt. He was met with silence as Thea was clearly processing what had happened and Roy could see the silent tears threatening to make their way down her cheeks. Finally, after a moment, she spoke.<p>

"This bruising is getting worse." Thea commented, avoiding telling Roy how she was really feeling.

"We can help with that." Nyssa said as she and Sara walked through the door.

"How?" Thea asked as she noticed the distinct lack of the ice that they were supposed to be bringing.

"With these." Sara commented as she pointed to the jar of leeches in Nyssa's hand.

"What?!"

* * *

><p>"You're right, he is a strong young man." Lance commented as he looked to Oliver, noting the slight sag in the younger man's posture and he couldn't help but wonder how Oliver's bullet wound was. "He's come a long way."<p>

"What do you mean by that Detective?" Oliver asked, curious as to what exactly the Detective meant.

"When I first met Roy he was a scared young kid in a bad home." Detective Lance explained. "He didn't have a great family life and it translated into him getting into a lot of trouble after his mom died. He was always up to no good. But then he met the Hood."

"I don't know what you think I did, but let me assure you, the good that's in Roy, it was there the whole time, he just needed to believe it and let it out." Oliver commented as he turned to go up the stairs to where the rest of his Team was caring for the young man they were currently discussing and he gestured for Diggle and the Detective to follow him.

* * *

><p>Sara and Nyssa had quickly explained the benefits of using the leeches to help with the bruising on Roy's back and Thea had reluctantly agreed to let them try it out. Between the two of them it took only a few minutes for them to finish and Thea had to agree, the bruising on Roy's back didn't look as bad now. Both women left when they were finished, apparently Diggle and Oliver had both gotten lost as it had been several minutes since Diggle went looking for Oliver and the ice.<p>

As soon as the women left Thea did her best to help Roy get comfortable on her bed. Unfortunately for him, the only way he could get comfortable was laying on his stomach thanks to the bruising on his back. It was not the best idea for his ribs, but it would have to work for now.

"Thea." Roy said quietly as he reached out and took her hand in his, quickly gaining her attention. "Tell me what's really wrong."

* * *

><p>"Then how do you explain what he did tonight?" Lance questioned. He still had a hard time reconciling the scared young boy he had seen years before, then the teen who he had arrested on multiple occasions, with the strong, confident young man who had put his life on the line for him just a couple of hours ago.<p>

"Dad! What are you doing here?" Sara asked as her and Nyssa passed the men on the stairs. She hadn't expected to see him here.

"Just came by to see how Roy's doing." Lance answered as he gave his youngest daughter a quick hug. "Nyssa, good to see you again."

"Mr. Lance. Roy is doing well. Thea should have him resting now." Nyssa said as she offered Sara's father a smile. "The ice will help the pain in his back."

"Thank you Nyssa. We will see you again next week?" Oliver asked as the Assassin turned to leave.

"I would not miss it for anything." Nyssa answered with a smile before following Sara down the rest of the stairs and the men finished their ascent.

The men walked up to Thea's open door just as Thea asked Roy why he had done it. They stopped just outside her room, not wanting to interrupt the conversation between the teens in the room.

* * *

><p>"Why did you do it?" Thea finally asked as she sat on the edge of the bed next to Roy and reached out to rub the back of his head and neck again, hoping it would help soothe him and help him to go to sleep quicker.<p>

"Do what?" Roy asked curiously as he glanced up at the beautiful woman next to him.

"Why did you go into a building that had just had an explosion, end up under a fallen beam in another explosion in the same building, zip line out of a collapsing building, and then ride back to Verdant on a _motorcycle_ when you were injured." Thea explained. "I don't get it. Why put yourself through that?"

Lance stood outside Thea's room and listened intently. He watched as Roy pulled himself into a seated position and carefully placed his hands on Thea's shoulders. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the angry black, blue, and purple bruising all down Roy's back.

"I didn't _put _myself through anything." Roy explained. "There were good men inside that building when the explosion went off. We didn't know if they were injured or trapped. I couldn't just leave them there! Then when we did get in there we found that the entrance to the floor we were on was closed off due to the explosion. The zip line was the only way out. As for getting trapped under a beam, well, I couldn't just leave Detective Lance unprotected." Roy continued to explain, trying to help Thea understand that he didn't do it for the glory. "I felt the building begin to shift just before the explosion, I saw the beam overhead crack and knew that it could crush the Detective who was standing directly under it. I simply tried to get him out of the way before it gave."

"Why?" Thea asked, the tears evident in her eyes.

"Thea, when we met I was a mess. I was always getting into trouble, getting arrested. But then I was taken by the Savior and rescued by the Hood. I learned that life's not all about me." Roy took a breath to gather his thoughts before continuing. "I had been doing things for all the wrong reasons. I had been trying to atone for my past sins, my failures. But I don't have to, all I have to do is be the best that I can be _now_. For me, that means that if I can save one man from being crushed under a beam in an explosion then I will. Not because I want to be crushed to death, but because that man deserves to live another day."

"And that, Roy Harper, is what makes you a hero." Thea said softly as she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Ahem." Oliver cleared his throat from the doorway, causing the couple to quickly draw apart. Roy turned and noticed the men standing in the doorway for the first time.

"Detective!" Roy said, surprised that Lance was there. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing, and to thank you." Lance said sincerely as he went to stand next to where Roy was sitting on the bed. "You saved my life tonight and for that I am extremely thankful."

"It was nothing Detective, you would have done the same thing." Roy responded.

"You know, I think Oliver's rubbing off on you." Lance commented as he turned to leave. "I'm glad you're okay Roy. Take it easy and get some rest. All of you." Lance said as he looked at the tired group in front of him.

Oliver and Diggle turned and followed the Detective out, thanking him for stopping by and promising to keep in touch. Felicity joined them with Roy's cup of tea just as the Detective started to leave.

"Tea for Roy." Felicity said as she walked up to the guys. They all turned to walk into Thea's room one last time.

Oliver knocked very loudly on the door frame, effectively scaring Roy and Thea, and causing them to quickly pull apart from their very heated kiss.

"Ollie!" Thea whined, irritated at being interrupted from kissing Roy, again!

"Hey, you and Roy can't have any uninterrupted fun if Felicity and I can't!" Oliver argued back, attempting to keep the look on his face serious. He completely failed as a smile spread across his face and Diggle laughed in the background.

"Right, can't let them have more fun than you!" Diggle said under his breath, to the amusement of Sara who had just come to join them again.

"True, we can't let the Queen kids have any fun can we." Sara agreed with a laugh.

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you all for your patience and reading yet another chapter! Please don't forget to leave me a review and make sure you keep things spoiler free for any who may not have seen the mid season finale! Thanks :D<strong>


	28. Chapter 28: Family

**AN: Another Thank YOU for the amazing reviews! Again, you all stun me with your kindness! **

**I'm sure you all know by now that Mic RiddyBanon is my beta and helps me in SO many ways when it comes to getting chapters out! Thank you my friend!**

**Disclaimer: Yup, still not mine :( (Maybe for Christmas?! :D )**

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><p><em>"Tea for Roy." Felicity said as she walked up to the guys. They all turned to walk into Thea's room one last time.<em>

_Oliver knocked very loudly on the door frame, effectively scaring Roy and Thea, and causing them to quickly pull apart from their very heated kiss._

_"Ollie!" Thea whined, irritated at being interrupted from kissing Roy, again!_

_"Hey, you and Roy can't have any uninterrupted fun if Felicity and I can't!" Oliver argued back, attempting to keep the look on his face serious. He completely failed as a smile spread across his face and Diggle laughed in the background._

_"Right, can't let them have more fun than you!" Diggle said under his breath, to the amusement of Sara who had just come to join them again._

_"True, we can't let the Queen kids have any fun can we." Sara agreed with a laugh._

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><p><strong>Chapter 28 - Family<strong>

Moira and Walter were in the sitting room simply enjoying each other's company and the peace and quiet in the Queen Mansion for once. Oliver and his Team had come home earlier this morning and thankfully they were finally getting the rest that had eluded them for the past two day. Sara and Quentin had left with Nyssa after the Detective had checked on Roy. Mr. Diggle had gone home to Lyla. Oliver, Felicity, Roy, and Thea were upstairs finally getting the rest that they so desperately needed. Moira had finally allowed the truth of what had happened last night sink in and she had gone in search of Walter for comfort.

Walter had gladly held Moira as she cried into his shoulder once she found him. He knew that Oliver being the Arrow of Starling City worried Moira on a daily basis and today was no different. They had seen on the news the explosion that rocked the office building across from the Theater, where they both knew the Team was keeping watch over the concert goers. They watched in silence as Roy and Oliver had immediately gone to the building to rescue Detective Lance and the Chief of Police. However, the news anchor hadn't had a clear shot into the building and therefore they didn't know what was going on. They were all relieved, though, when they could see everyone exiting the building, just before the top three floors caved in.

Moira had been relieved when she could see on the news that Team Arrow was safe. She couldn't tell if anyone was injured from the news coverage but she knew she would have that answer soon. Soon, however, turned out to be almost an hour and a half later. _Of course they had to go clean up and change._ She thought as she now sat next to Walter on the couch. She closed her eyes for a moment and leaned her head on his shoulder as she remembered watching the Team slowly climb out of the SUV. She could see Roy was at least slightly injured as it seemed Thea was helping keep him on his feet. She then looked to Oliver and he looked fine, other than being exhausted. But even that he was trying to hide behind his mask of _I'm fine_. She didn't realize that he was injured though, until she held both Oliver and Thea in a tight hug and she felt Oliver give a slight wince. She had later discovered that he had a bullet wound in his shoulder and she couldn't help but worry. _  
><em>

Walter pulled Moira closer to him to comfort her. He knew that she was struggling with the fact that Oliver was injured again, Roy was apparently injured as well, not to mention what tonight's events would do to Thea and Felicity. He hoped that they would all be able to pull through this experience as well, especially after all they had already gone through with Malcolm and Slade.

Moira and Walter sat comforting each other for quite a while before Oliver finally descended the stairs to find them.

"Oliver." Moira called to her son as he entered the room. She stood and went to him, carefully enveloping him in another hug. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine mom." Oliver answered a bit confused as to what had made her ask.

"Oliver, I know you were shot." Moira informed her son, slightly amused at the look of shock on her son's face. "You don't have to hide things from me anymore remember."

"I'm sorry, I was just worried about Roy and then didn't think about it." Oliver admitted. "It's really not that bad, it went all the way through so I just needed a couple of stitches. It's nothing to worry about."

"How _is_ Roy doing?" Moira asked curiously.

"He'll be fine. He just has a lot of bruising on his back and his ribs will be sore for a while." Oliver told her as he sat on the couch across from his mom and Walter. He was happy to know that she seemed to view Roy and Felicity as family already.

"Do you know what caused the explosion last night?" Walter asked, curious if the Team knew the motivation behind the attack.

"We don't know for sure why it happened." Oliver began to explain.

"But you have a theory?" Moira asked.

"Yes." Oliver confirmed. "A couple of days ago we brought in a man named David Wilson. He was in the process of stealing enough C4 to blow up the Starling City Theater. That was the reason why we stood guard over the concert last night."

"But how could it have been him if he was in police custody?" Walter asked, confused as to how Mr. Wilson would have been able to pull it off if he was in jail.

"Because he escaped before the SCPD ever got him to the precinct." Oliver explained. "We think he blew up the office building since we had disrupted his plans for the concert. He also had a sniper in place."

"To make sure you guys didn't escape?" Moira asked as she looked to Oliver's shoulder, realizing just _how _he had been injured.

"I think that was the idea." Oliver confirmed, not missing his mom's look at his shoulder. "They didn't take Digg into account though." Oliver said with a smile.

"How so?" Walter asked, extremely curious again.

"Diggle is a long range marksman." Oliver explained. "He's so good that he took a shot and hit his mark at a distance that most snipers can't be accurate at, not to mention that his weapon wasn't very accurate at that distance. He should have missed that shot, but instead he hit his target dead on and saved us."

"It sounds like we owe Mr. Diggle our thanks for saving your life yet again." Walter said with a small smile.

Walter, Moira, and Oliver sat in silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. It was only a couple of minutes later that Thea descended the stairs. When she noticed her family gathered together she went to join them.

"Thea." Moira said comfortingly as she watched her daughter enter the room. She could see that something was bothering her daughter and she rose and drew her into a tight hug. She knew she was right when she felt Thea begin to shake in her arms. Her baby girl was crying. "Thea, what's wrong?"

"I almost lost them tonight!" Thea sobbed into her mother's shoulder. She and Roy had just woken up and she had been reminded of what had happened as she watched Roy walk away to the bathroom. She had quickly left her room so that he wouldn't come out and find her crying.

"Thea, honey." Moira said softly as she stoked her daughter's hair.

"I watched and listened as the first explosion went off." Thea continued to explain through her tears. "I knew Ollie and Roy went in to check on Detective Lance and the Chief. I though they would be fine. But then we heard the loud crack when the sniper fired and we heard the bullet hit Oliver. He never makes a sound when he gets hurt, and yet we heard him grunt in pain and I was so worried! But the nightmare didn't end there." Thea pulled back slightly to look at her mom. "Then another explosion had to go off and we lost communication with both of them. I didn't know if they were still alive or not and I knew that I wouldn't be able to handle it if I lost either of them."

"Thea." Oliver said softly as he came up behind the two women and placed a comforting hand on Thea's shoulder. "I know you were scared, but you have to remember that we are _both_ alive and fine."

"I _know _you're both alive Ollie." Thea said as she turned to look at her brother. "But that's not the point. The point is I could have lost you tonight - again." Thea took a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts. "When you and dad left on the Gambit and were lost at sea I had no way of knowing what had happened to you. I didn't know if you had both been trapped in the yacht, if you had been sucked out and drowned at sea, if a shark had eaten you. I didn't know _anything_ except that you were gone. Tonight I knew _exactly_ what had happened. I knew that you had gone in to save people. I heard the gunshot. I listened as the bullet tore through your shoulder. I had to listen as the building that you and Roy were in shuddered and another explosion went off. I heard that beam fall on Roy and his cry of pain just before the comms went dead and I thought that I had lost you both. I had to sit there and watch as the building shook and when neither you nor Roy answered my heart literally stopped!"

"Oh Speedy." Oliver reached out to Thea and pulled her into a tight hug. "I know it's not easy being on that end of the missions and I'm sorry you had to go through that tonight."

"I don't know how Felicity does it every night." Thea whispered as she held onto Oliver tightly.

"It's not always this hard." Oliver commented, trying to help her remember that it wasn't _always _like that.

"I know. It's just that you kept this part of your life a secret from us for so long that it's just such a shock, and honestly it's a little harder than I thought, now that I know what happens and exactly what you guys go through to protect the city." Thea told him honestly.

"Thea, sweetheart." Moira said as she gently laid a hand on her daughter's back. "I know it's not easy knowing what happens, but I can tell you this. Oliver and Roy, they only do this because they care about the people of this city. They don't want to see innocent people hurt."

"I know."

"I think you are going to be a great asset to Oliver's Team." Walter commented as he walked over to join his family.

"Why do you think that?" Thea asked as she stepped back from Oliver's embrace and looked at her family. "I'm just a rebellious teenager who likes to get into trouble."

"That may have been true once Thea, but you have also been through a lot." Walter explained with a small smile. "You have lived through losing your father and brother, dealing with how your brother had changed when he finally made it back home, the Undertaking and everything that went with it, learning about who your biological father was, not to mention everything that Slade and Merlyn has put our family and Oliver's Team through, and it's changed you." Walter paused for a moment to let his words sink in.

"You are a survivor Thea. Maybe even more so than Oliver." Walter said with a sad smile. "You are a beautiful, smart, amazing young woman who has had to live through such incredible trials. You have survived what many would call a living hell. You have survived a crucible of fire in the last seven years and have come out the other end more beautiful and amazing than the day it started." Walter's smile grew as he talked, knowing that everything he said was right and simply hoping that Thea was actually hearing what he was saying. "You're a Pheonix Thea!"

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, time to let me know howif you liked it and what you think is going to happen next in a review :) (All suggestions are welcome!)**


	29. Chapter 29: Realizations

**AN: Thank you all yet again for your amazing support! I really, truly do appreciate each and every one of you!**

**I bet you all can't guess who my amazing beta is! :D (Pst... It's Mic RiddyBanon)**

**Disclaimer: If I did own Arrow we wouldn't be waiting so long hanging off the edge of a cliff!**

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><p><em>"You are a survivor Thea. Maybe even more so than Oliver." Walter said with a sad smile. "You are a beautiful, smart, amazing young woman who has had to live through such incredible trials. You have survived what many would call a living hell. You have survived a crucible of fire in the last seven years and have come out the other end more beautiful and amazing than the day it started." Walter's smile grew as he talked, knowing that everything he said was right and simply hoping that Thea was actually hearing what he was saying. "You're a Pheonix Thea!"<em>

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><p><strong>Chapter 29 - Realizations<strong>

The Dealer sat with David Wilson and Andrew as they discussed their upcoming plans for the Arrow and his team.

"So what new intel did we gather from last night?" The Dealer asked as he watched the news coverage of the bombing across from the Theater.

"Well, we know they have a long range marksman." David answered in a bit of a huff, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. "That would have been nice to know before I sent my best sniper out there last night."

"We didn't know about the marksman until it was too late." The Dealer commented as he turned to face the other two men in the room. "Besides, it's not my fault that your sniper didn't use his silencer like you told him too. He was too cocky and that cost him."

"Their marksman is one hell of a shot though." Andrew commented as he looked at information on his tablet. "He shouldn't have been able to make that shot, he was too far away."

"That's irrelevant now. Let's move on to more important things." The Dealer commented as he leaned forward placing his elbows on his desk. "We now have confirmation of at least five people on the Arrow's team, correct?" He asked Andrew.

"Right. There is the Arrow, the man they call Arsenal, the Canary, and the marksman. I also found brief digital footprints on the feeds from the cameras in the area. The tech was fast and good though so I didn't get anything from it. I also know that they work on a comms system. I tried nailing down the frequency but they kept bouncing it around. Their tech is really good. I haven't heard of anyone that good since MIT." Andrew answered with a hint of awe in his voice.

"Okay, so Andrew your main priorities are finding the their Tech and their base of operations." The Dealer issued orders to his computer genius. "I need to know who their tech is and where to find them. I have a feeling that they are the key to getting to the Arrow and his Team."

"On it." Andrew said as he stood to go back to his computers.

"Where are we on the plans for capturing the Arrow?" The Dealer asked David as he leaned back in his chair.

"The final pieces are in place." David answered with a grin.

"Perfect."

* * *

><p>Jackson walked wearily into his house and dropped to the couch. Being the Chief of Police was hard work. He knew that when he took the job, but the last few days had simply taken more out of him than he wanted to admit.<p>

When he first got word that they were to start working with the Arrow Jackson had been furious. He was one of the ones who had been all for hunting the man in the green hood down and putting him away. The fact that he now had to work with the man and his team of vigilantes was a great source of frustration. However, he was starting to see that maybe he had been wrong.

Their first case together he had been pleasantly surprised. Jackson had thought that they would spend hours negotiating with the armed robbers, in reality it had only taken the Arrow and his team less than five minutes to apprehend the suspect and bring them in. The hostages had even been released without being harmed.

Jackson had been surprised again with the whole scenario with the Theater downtown. The Arrow and his Team had come up with a solid plan and executed their end of it flawlessly. Things would have ended perfectly last night if the building that he and Lance had used as their base of operations hadn't been booby trapped. As soon as the concert had let out there had been an explosion trapping them in the room that they had been running the whole security operation from. He had been pleasantly surprised when the Arrow and Arsenal had appeared. He had, however, quickly gotten irritated again when the shooting started. Instead of finding the sniper and taking him out, the Arrow and Arsenal had simply hunkered down in the office building. They hadn't even tried to get them out in one piece.

However, Jackson's opinion of the Arrow and his team had quickly changed when the second explosion went off and the two men in hoods had protected both himself and Lance by putting their own lives at risk. The Arsenal had even been pinned under a large beam because he had pushed Lance out of the way. He knew that if Lance had still been standing in the same spot when the beam fell, that the man would have been crushed to death. The Arsenal had saved Lance's life.

It was in the aftermath of that second explosion that Jackson had finally started to realize who the Arrow really was. He had seen the bullet wound in the man's shoulder and couldn't believe that he was still going, despite the injury. That particular injury would put many of his officers out of commission, and the Arrow simply went about business as usual until they were all safely out of the building. Even then, though, the Arrow shrugged off the injury like is was a small flesh wound, not a bullet through his shoulder! In talking with Lance later he realized that the Arrow frequently kept going on his mission despite whatever injury he may have obtained.

As Jackson sat and thought about how lucky he and Lance were to have survived the night he replayed everything that had happened. As he thought about it again he came to a realization. Every time he had talked to the Arrow or Arsenal they had been using a voice distorter, however, tonight they must have been damaged in the explosion as after the second one went off their voices sounded different. He almost thought he recognized the Arrow's voice.

"That can't be right though." Jackson said to himself. "It sounded like the Arrow was playboy Oliver Queen, but there's no way that could be right. The kid barely knows how to go a night without getting drunk in a club. I must have a concussion or something because I think I'm hallucinating now."

If Jackson had only learned one thing tonight it was this: He was glad the Arrow was in town, because otherwise, he and Lance would have died last night. Maybe it's time I finally give him a real chance. He thought as he headed to bed for some much needed rest.

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><p>Roy stood under the hot spray of the shower for several minutes allowing the hot water to soothe his aching muscles. He had never been more happy to be in the Queen Mansion as he was right this minute as it seemed they never ran out of hot water. He leaned against the cool tile as the hot water cascaded over him and closed his eyes, the events of the previous evening washing over him.<p>

He could still almost feel the office building shaking around him. He remembered looking up briefly and noticing a huge crack in the beam just above his and the Detective's heads and realizing that if the Detective didn't move he would be crushed. He had acted on instinct and rushed over to push the other man out of the way, keeping him from being crushed under the weight. He remember what happened next as if it had just occurred. The building shook even more with the second explosion and Roy hadn't had time to get himself completely clear of the beam. It had hit him quite hard, eliciting a slight scream of pain as it hit his back. He must have blacked out after that for a moment because the next thing he remembered was his Team standing over him, getting him out.

The events after that were a bit of a blur to Roy. Oliver, Sara, and Detective Lance had pulled him clear of the beam and then they had taken a zip line out of the building, just before the top floors collapsed. He hadn't really had time to process what had just happened, that he had come within a hair's breadth of not making it out of that building alive. The Team had made quick work of getting back to the lair and the injuries seen to before coming here, to the Queen Mansion.

As Roy stood thinking about the Team's reception back at the lair, it finally hit him. He could have died last night, and Thea had had to watch and listen as it happened. No wonder she had run to him and embraced him like she had when they got back to the lair. He realized that she almost lost him, and he her. His heart ached at the thought that he had come so close to never seeing her again, holding her in his arms. He scrubbed his hands over his face, trying to keep the tears away. He knew he had to find Thea, apologize for scaring her so much, and simply hold her for a moment.

Roy climbed out of the shower and quickly toweled off before pulling on a comfortable pair of workout pants and going in search of Thea. He knew he would need to get someone to help him wrap his ribs as they had not done so the night before, or was it that morning, he wasn't sure anymore. As he stepped out of the bathroom into Thea's room he realized that she wasn't in there and set out in search of her, or anyone that could help him out. As he stepped out into the hall he noticed Felicity walking towards him, and the stairs, from Oliver's room.

"Hey Roy, how are you feeling?" Felicity greeting Roy cheerfully, happy to see him finally awake. She quickly noticed the bruising on his torso though as he was still shirtless. Apparently just out of the shower if his wet hair is any indication.

"Rested." Roy admitted. He wasn't sure how he had slept so well but was thankful that he was no longer exhausted.

"I should hope so." Felicity responded with a laugh. "You only slept for twelve hours straight. It's almost six in the evening."

"Wow, didn't realize I was out that long." Roy told Felicity.

"Well, you were exhausted, your body was exhausted, and you had every right to sleep that long so don't feel bad." Felicity told Roy. "So, what are you up to?"

"I was looking for someone to tape up my ribs since we didn't do that last night." Roy explained. "I was going to ask Thea, but she's not in her room."

"Oliver's not up here either so I guess you're stuck with me." Felicity said with a smile as she passed him and walked into Thea's room where the supplies were neatly laid on her desk.

Felicity made quick work of taping up Roy's ribs, wincing each time he let out any sound of pain as she felt bad about causing it. A few short minutes later she was finished and Roy had carefully pulled on a shirt and his hoodie.

"Well, what do you say we go on a Queen hunt?" Felicity said mischievously. "Oh, and coffee. Definitely need coffee!"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Roy answered, returning her smile. "I bet they're downstairs hiding the coffee from you." Roy teased. He quickly ducked out of the way as she playfully tried to punch him.

Roy and Felicity found the Queen family gathered in the sitting room. It appeared that they had just finished a serious discussion and both Roy and Felicity made a mental note to ask about it later. Roy went straight to Thea and gave her a gentle hug and a kiss.

"Hey beautiful." Roy whispered into Thea's hair. "We need to talk later." He told her as he pulled back and looked into her eyes. She simply shook her head and gave him a sad smile.

"So." Felicity had finally decided to ask the one question that had been bugging her since she had woken up. "Are we still having a party tonight?"

"Of course we are." Oliver answered with a smile as he wrapped his arm around Felicity's waist and pulled her close, planting a small kiss on her forehead.

"Yup! We can't let anyone get by without celebrating a birthday!" Felicity chimed in.

Oliver laughed in agreement, as well as at Thea's enthusiasm for anything that even resembled a party, before commenting again himself.

"Especially not Diggle."

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please leave me a review so I know how I did :) Thanks :D<strong>


	30. Chapter 30: Birthday Party

**AN: Thank you all for your continual support! I appreciate you all so much! Also, You can now find me on wattpad under the same pen name if you are interested :)**

**I hope you all are having a Merry Christmas from wherever you are in the world :)**

**Reminder: Please keep things spoiler free for any that may not have seen the Mid Season Finale yet!**

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Arrow.**

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><p><em>"So." Felicity had finally decided to ask the one question that had been bugging her since she had woken up. "Are we still having a party tonight?"<em>

_"Of course we are." Oliver answered with a smile as he wrapped his arm around Felicity's waist and pulled her close, planting a small kiss on her forehead._

_"Yup! We can't let anyone get by without celebrating a birthday!" Thea chimed in._

_Oliver laughed in agreement, as well as at Thea's enthusiasm for anything that even resembled a party, before commenting again himself._

_"Especially not Diggle."_

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><p><strong>Chapter 30 - Birthday Party<strong>

"I need to call Sara and make sure she can swing by Verdant and pick up Digg's gift." Oliver commented as he pulled out his phone.

"I'm going to go check on the food for the evening." Moira told the group as she started to head to the kitchen. "Thea, Felicity, would you ladies like to join me?"

"Yeah!" Thea answered enthusiastically. She quickly gave Roy a small kiss and a smile letting him know that they would have that discussion, later.

The women all left to meet Raisa in the kitchen and finish the preparations for the birthday dinner.

"Sara's going to run by the club and get Digg's gift." Oliver told the men with a smile as he joined Roy and Walter.

"He's going to love it!" Roy commented, knowing what the Team had gotten Diggle.

"What do you want to do until everyone gets here?" Oliver asked Roy.

"Honestly, I'd be perfectly content chilling with a beer." Roy answered with a small smile. "My ribs are sore and taped up so a workout probably isn't a good idea. Besides, we'd just have to shower and change again for dinner if we did."

"Good point." Oliver chuckled. "What do you say we go get that beer and raid the desserts for tonight?"

"Perfect plan." Roy smiled mischievously.

"Don't get into too much trouble." Walter warned as the guys left the sitting room. He shook his head and laughed at the mental image of Oliver and Roy, the Arrow and Arsenal, getting into trouble over sneaking desserts before dinner.

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><p>At about six thirty Sara, Laurel, and Detective Lance arrived with Diggle's gift in tow. Moira greeted them at the door and welcomed them in with a smile.<p>

"The children are in the kitchen." Moira commented, laughing at the look on Quentine's face at her use of the word _children._ "You will have to see it for yourself Quentine." Was the only explanation that she provided.

The sight that greeted them in the kitchen caused Detective Lance, Sara, Laurel, Moira, and Walter who had also joined them, to start laughing out loud. Apparently Oliver and Roy were in trouble for trying to sneak some desserts before dinner and Thea and Felicity were having none of it. The were all brandishing wooden spoons and appeared to be in the throes of what Moira could only describe as a sword fight of epic proportions. The four of them were laughing quite hard at themselves and Walter couldn't believe that he had been right about what would happen.

"What have you done now?!" Sara asked in mock horror.

"These _criminals_ were trying to sneak some of Digg's birthday cake!" Felicity explained as she swatted Oliver's spoon away. "We need reinforcements!"

"On it!" Sara commented with mock seriousness as she ran to the broom closet just off the kitchen. She reappeared moments later with a broom handle and she quickly aligned herself with the women.

"Hey, no fair!" Roy cried as Sara hit him lightly on the thigh with her new 'bo staff'.

"No, what's not fair was you guys ganging up on poor Felicity and I." Thea retorted.

The standoff lasted for another few minutes until Moira called it off at the sound of the doorbell.

"Okay children, time to put the toys away. That will be Mr. Diggle and Lyla." Moira sternly told the group much to the amusement of Laurel, Lance, and Walter. "Someone take the gift to the other room and clean up in here - quickly." She issued her orders as she went to answer the front door.

"Mr. Diggle, Lyla, welcome. Thank you for joining us for dinner!" Moira welcomed the couple warmly as she ushered them into the sitting room. "Dinner will be ready shortly." She told her guests just as the rest of the group joined them.

It was only five short minutes later that Raisa called them all to the dining room for a lovely dinner. They held easy conversation during the duration of the meal, each anticipating the look on Diggle's face when they finally presented him with his gift.

"Ahem." Diggle cleared his throat loudly and stood to gain the groups attention just as they finished their dinner. "Lyla and I have an announcement to make." He said and a huge grin spread across his face as he looked to the woman sitting next to him.

"Well, what is it?" Roy asked impatiently after a moment of googly eyes between Digg and Lyla.

"Lyla's pregnant." Diggle answered as he looked up to his friends and Teammates in the room. "We're going to have a baby!"

The couple was surrounded with a lot of congratulations and hugs from the entire group.

"Congratulations!" Oliver told Diggle as the men embraced. "That's wonderful news!"

"Thanks man!"

"So, apparently you got one great birthday present with that news. However, we still have a gift for you." Oliver commented after the hugs and congratulations were finished. The Team worked quickly to clear a space on the table so that they could pull out Digg's gift.

"John, you were the first one I trusted with my secret. You've stood by me for the last three years, you're not afraid to tell me when I'm being stupid, you encourage me when I am doing things right, you watch my back every night, you keep my family safe when I can't, you've saved my life more times that I'd like to admit, but most importantly you're my _friend_. I am truly grateful that my mom brought you into my life! Even if it didn't work out like she wanted it to." Oliver told his friend. The entire group laughed as they had heard about the rocky start that was the relationship between Oliver and Diggle.

"Oliver..." Diggle started to respond but was stopped with a raised hand from Oliver.

"I can never explain how much your friendship means to me." Oliver said sincerely as he laid a hand on the case that was sitting on the table behind him. "Hopefully this helps you to know that I see you as so much more than just my _black driver._" He finished with a smile.

Diggle laughed as he turned to the gift on the table that was clearly from all of Team Arrow. He slowly lifted the lid to the case and the smile on his face widened as he saw the contents.

Sitting at the top of the case was a black and grey camouflage leather jacket with a hood. There was a pocket on the front right side that was just the right size for the silencer to his rifle. On the left side there was a gun holster sewn into a pocket. Next there were loose leather pants in the same black and dark grey camouflage. Under that was a belt that held space for extra clips as well as a gun holster for his back. There was another ankle holster and a strap to go across his back whenever he needed to carry his sniper rifle. In the bottom of the case was a new set of boots, much like Oliver and Roy's, in jet black. Inside one of them there was a sheath for a knife.

"We thought it was time you were able to hood up too." Roy said with a smirk. Diggle was clearly speechless, and that didn't happen often.

"Guys, you didn't have to." Diggle stated quietly as he looked up and met the smiling faces of Team Arrow.

"You're part of our Team, and the only one that didn't have a suit." Sara commented. "Besides, the jacket's got a bit of Kevlar in it. Makes you a bit more bulletproof."

"Thank you!" Diggle commented, the sincerity clear in his voice.

"One more thing." Oliver said with a smile as he held out a small box.

"Oliver..."

"Just open it!" Oliver said a hint of a laugh.

Diggle opened the small box in his hands. Inside was nestled a black face mask, just like Oliver's, Roy's, and Sara's.

"No more ski masks." Lyla said quietly next to him with a smile. "The look of a true hero!"

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><p>About an hour later the group was just finishing Diggle's birthday cake as Moira described the wood spoon sword fight to Diggle who busted up laughing at the story. It wasn't often that the Team actually acted their age, or younger, and knowing that they could all still enjoy themselves brought a smile to his face.<p>

"Okay Digg." Roy finally said as he turned to Diggle with a mischievous smile on his face. "When is Overwatch finally going to suit up and take his new gear for a spin?"

"You just want to go train don't you?" Thea asked from her seat next to Roy.

"Well, I just know that a suit needs to be broken in." Roy defended himself. "After all, isn't it better to break it in during training instead of in the field?"

"The kid has a good point." Diggle commented.

"You know." Felicity spoke with amusement. "The new security cameras were finally installed in the QC Training Facility. I need to go by at some point and set up the security. I'm guessing that you guys have some work to do to make sure the equipment is fully functional as well?"

Oliver couldn't help but smile at his soon to be wife. _Leave it to her to find a way to make everyone happy._ He thought as he squeezed her hand under the table.

"You're right. We do need to go by and make sure everything is in working order." Oliver agreed. "Might as well do that by testing everything. Besides, you'll need us to make sure that the cameras are properly placed right?"

"Right." Felicity said with a nod of her head. "I _definitely_ need your help."

"So we can go?" Roy asked, sounding much like a little kid waiting to go to the playground.

"Yes, we can go." Oliver confirmed. "But we need to go by the lair first. Felicity will need a couple of things from there."

"And we need to suit up." Sara commented with a wicked grin on her face. "What? John can't be the only one suited up. Besides, won't people start asking questions if they see Oliver Queen shooting arrows around?" She explained noticing the look of amusement on her dad's face.

"Good point!" Roy agreed with Sara's philosophy.

"Okay children." Moira interrupted, she was thoroughly entertained by the banter around the table. "Why don't you all go change into your play clothes and go to the playground for a while."

Walter, Lance, and Laurel couldn't hold their amusement in any longer and a chorus of laughter erupted from around the table.

"I think we get the point mom." Oliver commented as he stood and walked around to where his mom was still sitting. "We're going to go train and get out of your hair." He told her as he leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek. "We'll be back late."

"Have fun." Moira instructed.

"Can I come too?" Thea asked cautiously, still unsure about where exactly her place was on Team Arrow. Or even if she really _was_ a part of the Team now.

"Of course!" Felicity exclaimed as turned to Thea. "I'll need your help too!"

It only took the Team, including Thea and Lyla, moments before they were ready to leave the Queen Mansion. They stopped by the lair only long enough to grab their gear and suit up before heading out for their first training session at the QC Training Compound.

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><p><strong>AN: You can all be thankful that the muse didn't cooperate. I was going to writepost one more chapter by Christmas with a lovely cliffhanger for you all. :) The muse chose to be kind. **

**Please do me a favor and leave me a review to let me know if you liked this chapter, what your favorite part was, and what you think will happen in the next chapter :)**


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